Pope Francis, 88, was still in the hospital on Tuesday due to a multi-pronged respiratory illness, so the Vatican postponed papal audiences for the weekend and sent others to cover for him, reports Breaking News.
The upcoming festivities of the Vatican’s major Holy Year, which is celebrated only every 25 years and attracts pilgrims to Rome for special jubilee celebrations, are dampened by the cancellations.
With an estimated 30 million visitors expected to Rome, the Holy Year of 2025 is jam-packed with extraordinary papal audiences and Masses, some of which have now been called into question due to Francis’ sickness, reports Breaking News.
Following a worsening of a week-long attack of bronchitis, Francis was hospitalised to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Friday in a “fair” condition.
According to medical professionals, he had a polymicrobial respiratory tract infection on Monday, which means that a variety of bacteria, viruses, and maybe other organisms had colonised his respiratory tract, reports Breaking News.
The Vatican has stated that a “adequate” stay would be necessary to address such a “complex clinical picture,” but it has not indicated how long he would stay there.
According to Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni, Francis once again slept soundly, ate breakfast, and read the news on Tuesday morning. Later, a more thorough medical update was anticipated, reports Breaking News.
Francis had returned to work on Monday and called a church in Gaza City as he does every day to see how the Catholic community there is doing.
The deacon ministry, which is a prerequisite for men aspiring to become priests, was the focus of this Holy Year weekend, reports Breaking News.
Francis was scheduled to appoint the deacons during a Mass on Sunday, but he had an irrelevant audience on Saturday.
The Vatican announced a similar arrangement last weekend, when musicians were forced to accept a cardinal officiating their special Mass, reports Breaking News.
The weekend of March 8–9, which is devoted to volunteers, is the next jubilee event on the calendar that usually features the pope.
Francis is susceptible to bronchitis episodes throughout the winter months and had a portion of one lung removed following a pulmonary infection when he was a young man, reports Breaking News.
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