Hello and welcome to the details of Pope Francis’ health concerns: A closer look at his medical history and now with the details
Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - VATICAN CITY, Feb 15 —Pope Francis’ hospitalisation yesterday for treatment of bronchitis was the latest in a long history of health problems the 88-year-old pontiff has had over the years. Below are some details:
Lung and respiratory tract
When he was 21, the then Jorge Bergoglio developed pleurisy and had part of one of his lungs removed in Argentina.
He has suffered repeated influenza and related problems since the start of 2023.
He cancelled his appointments on September 23, 2024, because of what the Vatican described as light flu symptoms.
In February last year, he had a check-up in hospital after suffering from flu and returned to the Vatican promptly the same day.
In late November 2023, he was forced to cancel a planned trip to the COP28 climate meeting in Dubai because of the effects of influenza and lung inflammation. In March 2023, the pope was taken to hospital after complaining that he had difficulty breathing.
He recovered swiftly after receiving antibiotics for bronchitis.
Falls
The pope has suffered two falls recently in his residence, bruising his chin in December 2024 and injuring his arm in January 2025.
Colon and abdomen
The pope spent nine days in hospital in June 2023 when he had surgery to repair an abdominal hernia.
His medical team had decided that surgery was required because the condition was causing painful intestinal occlusions.
In July 2021, the pope had 33 cm (13 inches) of his colon removed in a six-hour operation that was aimed at addressing a painful bowel condition called diverticulitis.
He said in 2023 that the condition had returned. In an interview with Reuters in 2022, he dismissed as “court gossip” rumours that cancer had been found during the 2021 surgery. The surgeon who operated on him has since confirmed that there was no cancer.
Back and knee
The pope has long suffered from sciatica, a chronic nerve condition that causes back, hip and leg pain.
A flare-up of the ailment caused the pope to miss New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day services in December 2020, the first time health problems had caused him to miss major religious events.
He also developed a separate, painful knee problem, but told Reuters in July 2022 he opted against surgery because he did not want a repeat of long-term negative side effects from anaesthesia that he suffered from the 2021 colon operation.
Instead, he has looked to overcome the problem with laser and magnet therapy.
In 2022, he was forced to cancel trips to Lebanon, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan because of his walking problems.
He rescheduled the Africa trip and went to both countries in 2023.
The pope now uses a wheelchair or a cane and his waistline has noticeably increased due to a more sedentary lifestyle in the Vatican.
Mental health
Pope Francis said in 2021 he saw a psychiatrist in his native Argentina when he was a young priest who helped him deal with anxiety during the time of the military dictatorship.
He said he had learnt to deal with the problem through various mechanisms, including listening to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.
VATICAN CITY, Feb 14 (Reuters) -
Pope Francis’ hospitalisation
on Friday for treatment of bronchitis was the latest in a long history of health problems the 88-year-old pontiff has had over the years. Below are some details:
When he was 21, the then Jorge Bergoglio developed pleurisy and had part of one of his lungs removed in Argentina.
He has suffered repeated influenza and related problems since the start of 2023.
He cancelled his appointments on September 23, 2024, because of what the Vatican described as light flu symptoms. In February last year, he had a check-up in hospital after suffering from flu and returned to the Vatican promptly the same day. In late November 2023, he was forced to cancel a planned trip to the COP28 climate meeting in Dubai because of the effects of influenza and lung inflammation. In March 2023, the pope was taken to hospital after complaining that he had difficulty breathing. He recovered swiftly after receiving antibiotics for bronchitis.
FALLS The pope has suffered two falls recently in his residence, bruising his chin in December 2024 and injuring his arm in January 2025.
COLON AND ABDOMEN The pope spent nine days in hospital in June 2023 when he had surgery to repair an abdominal hernia.
His medical team had decided that surgery was required because the condition was causing painful intestinal occlusions.
In July 2021, the pope had 33 cm (13 inches) of his colon removed in a six-hour operation that was aimed at addressing a painful bowel condition called diverticulitis. He said in 2023 that the condition had returned. In an interview with Reuters in 2022, he dismissed as “court gossip” rumours that cancer had been found during the 2021 surgery. The surgeon who operated on him has since confirmed that there was no cancer.
The pope has long suffered from sciatica, a chronic nerve condition that causes back, hip and leg pain. A flare-up of the ailment caused the pope to miss New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day services in December 2020, the first time health problems had caused him to miss major religious events.
He also developed a separate, painful knee problem, but told Reuters in July 2022 he opted against surgery because he did not want a repeat of long-term negative side effects from anaesthesia that he suffered from the 2021 colon operation. Instead, he has looked to overcome the problem with laser and magnet therapy.
In 2022, he was forced to cancel trips to Lebanon, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan because of his walking problems. He rescheduled the Africa trip and went to both countries in 2023. The pope now uses a wheelchair or a cane and his waistline has noticeably increased due to a more sedentary lifestyle in the Vatican.
Pope Francis said in 2021 he saw a psychiatrist in his native Argentina when he was a young priest who helped him deal with anxiety during the time of the military dictatorship. He said he had learnt to deal with the problem through various mechanisms, including listening to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. (Reporting by Joshua McElwee and Crispian Balmer and Keith Weir Editing by Janet Lawrence, Andrew Heavens and Frances Kerry)
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