Pope Francis had pneumonia before Easter

2023-05-01 02:47:00

Pope Francis has given new details about the serious health crisis that had brought him to the hospital a few days before Easter. In response to a question from journalists on Sunday evening on the return flight from Budapest to Rome, he said he felt very bad after the general audience on Wednesday before Easter and developed a high fever. He did not lose consciousness. He was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Clinic with pneumonia.

The Vatican initially spoke of planned medical examinations and later of bronchitis. However, the Italian media had speculated that pneumonia was the cause of the hospital admission. After the hospital stay, an acquaintance of the Pope also claimed that Francis had told him by telephone that he was unconscious before he was admitted. The Pope has now cleared this up.

Regarding his current state of health, the Pope said he was fine but did not yet know if he would actually be able to make the strenuous journey to World Youth Day in Lisbon in August this year. “We’ll see how it is then,” he said when asked.