Pope Francis, who had part of a lung removed when he was 21 due an inflammation of lung tissue known as pleurisy, has experienced a string of health issues—often respiratory, joint, or intestinal—in the last few years as he entered his eighties.
Now 88, the pope was hospitalized for bronchitis earlier this month and has since been diagnosed with double pneumonia at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital. On Saturday, the Vatican announced that he was in critical condition after suffering a “prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis.”
The next day, the Vatican said that Pope Francis had spent a “tranquil” night, and later released a statement from the pontiff himself saying that he was “confidently” continuing treatment.
Here’s a brief rundown of the Pope’s ailments over the last few years.
JANUARY 2021: The Pope missed a New Year’s Eve service and did not preside at a New Year’s Day Mass as he suffered a flare-up of a sciatica condition that causes pain in his right leg.
JULY 2021: Pope Francis underwent a planned surgery for diverticulitis, a potentially painful inflammation of pockets that form in the colon.
JANUARY 2022: Pope Francis experienced an inflamed ligament, which caused pain in his right knee and leg.
APRIL 2022: Struggling with leg pain, the Pope used a lift to disembark the papal plane during a trip to Malta. At a Mass for about 20,000 people, he mostly sat while Valletta Archbishop Charles Scicluna led much of the liturgy.
MAY 2022: At 85 years old, Pope Francis underwent a medical procedure on his knee, which had a torn ligament.
JUNE 2022: The Pope’s planned visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan was canceled due to his ongoing knee problem, and a month earlier had used a wheelchair for a public event for the first time.
JANUARY 2023: The Pope announced that his diverticulitis had returned.
MARCH -APRIL 2023: The Vatican announced Pope Francis is expected to remain in the hospital for some days due to a respiratory infection.
JUNE 2023: Pope Francis underwent abdominal surgery under general anesthesia to repair an incisional hernia, a protrusion of tissue that forms at the healing surgical scar.
NOVEMBER 2023: After contracting a mild flu, a CT scan result showed that Pope Francis had pneumonia and lung inflammation, causing some breathing difficulties. He was treated with antibiotics intravenously.
FEBRUARY 2024: The pope cancelled some audiences due to having mild flu-like symptoms, but with no fever.
JANUARY 2025: The pope appeared with his right arm in a sling after a fall in his residence injured his forearm, but no bones were broken.
FEBRUARY 2025: Pope Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital after experiencing difficulty breathing for several days.
The hospitalization came after the Pope said he had a cold, with the Vatican reporting later on that it was bronchitis.
Pope Francis was then diagnosed with the onset of double pneumonia, an infection that affects both lungs and can make breathing difficult.
The Vatican said Saturday, the Pope’s health has deteriorated over the past 24 hours and for the first time described his condition as “critical.”
In its latest updates, the Vatican said that the Pope spent a tranquil night at the hospital and released a statement from the Pope saying he was “confidently” continuing treatment. — BM, GMA Integrated News
