Pope Francis will remain hospitalized although doctors rule out that he has pneumonia

Pope Francis, admitted to a hospital in Rome on Wednesday afternoon due to a respiratory infection, has had a good night, according to his entourage on Thursday morning, although he will remain hospitalized.

The Ansa news agency assures that the doctors have ruled out that it is pneumonia or covid.

They also rule out that the 86-year-old Pontiff suffers from heart problems.

The most obvious cause of the respiratory fatigue that he suffered and of his chest pains seems to be bronchitis.

And the Vatican itself confirms a certain improvement in his condition in a brief statement.

The report released by the Holy See at 12:35 indicates that "Francisco has rested well during the night."

“The clinical picture is of a progressive improvement and continues with the programmed cures.

This morning, after breakfast, he has read some newspapers and has resumed work.

Before eating he has moved to the small chapel of the private apartment of the clinic, where he has collected himself in prayer and has received the Eucharist”.

“Very optimistic” doctors

The Italian news agency Ansa also publishes that the doctors at the Gemelli hospital are "very optimistic" thinking that, except for surprises, the Pope can be discharged before the Holy Week celebrations begin, with the Sunday mass de Ramos on April 2.

At the moment the agenda for this Thursday and tomorrow Friday has been cancelled.

The Pontiff "suffers from a respiratory infection that will require a few days of adequate hospital medical treatment," the Vatican press office reported hours after being hospitalized on Wednesday afternoon.

"In recent days, Pope Francis had been suffering from some respiratory difficulties and this afternoon he went to the A. Gemelli Polyclinic for medical check-ups," he explained, specifying that it is not a covid-19 infection.

According to the media, Francisco underwent a chest CT scan and other medical tests, which have ruled out pneumonia, and his state of health is not a concern after the results.

The briefing provided by the Vatican on Wednesday was somewhat confusing.

First, the Holy See implied that he had gone to the hospital on his own accord to undergo already scheduled routine checks.

But it later emerged that Francisco had suffered chest pain after Wednesday's public hearing and had been taken by ambulance to the medical center.

In addition, he had to cancel an interview that he had scheduled for 1:00 p.m., something completely incompatible with the idea of ​​"scheduled controls."

It is the second time that Francis has been admitted to this Roman hospital, after he underwent colon surgery on July 4, 2021.

There he remained hospitalized for 10 days, in which he came to celebrate the Angelus from the balcony of the health center.

Since then, the Pope has only suffered a problem in his right knee that forces him to walk with a cane or a wheelchair and has assured on several occasions that he does not want to undergo surgery.

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