Pope Francis, hospitalized since Wednesday in Rome, suffers from "infectious bronchitis" but receives antibiotic treatment that has allowed a "clear improvement" in his state of health, said Thursday, March 30, the medical team of the Gemelli Hospital.

The 86-year-old Argentine pope is receiving an "antibiotic infusion treatment that has produced the expected effects," medical staff said in a statement sent by the Vatican, adding that he could be discharged from the hospital "in the coming days."

>> Read also: Faced with concerns about his health, the pope evokes the possibility of "putting himself aside"

The pope devoted his afternoon "to rest, prayer and certain tasks," Holy See spokesman Matteo Bruni said in the same statement. At midday, the Vatican had already wanted to be reassuring about the state of health of the pope and had assured that he had returned to work.

Chronic conditions

Jorge Bergoglio, who suffers from chronic health problems and uses a wheelchair due to knee pain, also gathered in the morning in the chapel of the private apartment reserved for popes on the 10th floor of the Gemelli University Hospital.

This reassuring news comes amid concerns after the contradictory information distilled Wednesday by the Vatican on the real state of health of the pope, which made the headlines of the international press Thursday.

After mentioning "scheduled examinations", the Vatican spokesman had finally announced Wednesday evening that he was suffering from a "respiratory infection" unrelated to Covid-19. The pope, who had experienced difficulty breathing in recent days, must undergo treatment for "a few days".

On Twitter, the pope said Thursday he was "touched by the many messages received in recent hours," from those of the bishops of several countries to that of US President Joe Biden. "I express my gratitude to everyone for their closeness and prayers," he wrote.

The time is now to question the pope's participation in the celebrations of Holy Week and Easter, the main highlight of the year in the Catholic world, on which the Vatican has not communicated.

"Sequelae"

This sudden hospitalization took the world by surprise, especially since Wednesday morning, Jorge Bergoglio had again participated as every week in the general audience in St. Peter's Square, during which he appeared smiling, greeting the faithful from his "popemobile".

François had already been hospitalized for ten days at Gemelli Hospital in July 2021 for a heavy colon operation. He admitted to having kept "sequelae" of anesthesia, which pushed him to rule out knee surgery so far. The pain caused by this joint, which forced him to cancel several appointments in 2022 and postpone a trip to Africa, is at the heart of speculation about his possible renunciation.

The head of the Catholic Church has always left the door open to this possibility. His predecessor Benedict XVI resigned from office in 2013, taking the whole world by surprise.

François blows hot and cold on this delicate subject. After having evoked in July the possibility of "putting himself aside", he had judged in February that the "resignation" of a pope should "not become a fashion", ensuring that this hypothesis was "not on his agenda for the moment".

With AFP and Reuters

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