About two months after a brief hospitalisation, Pope Francis made an unannounced return to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital for what the Vatican described as a medical check-up. Source: Crux.
In a brief statement yesterday, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said: “This morning, Pope Francis went to the Gemelli Hospital for some clinical tests and returned to the Vatican before midday.”
The Italian news agency Ansa was the first to break the news mid-morning that Francis was at the Gemelli. The Italian state broadcaster RAI eventually reported that he arrived around 10.40am local time, staying for less than an hour.
Pope Francis underwent an invasive colon surgery at the Gemelli hospital in July 2021 for a condition known as “stenotic diverticulitis,” meaning a restriction of the colon with possible inflammation or infection of pouches inside the walls of the large intestine.
He was discharged after 10 days, but in an interview with the Associated Press in late January, the Pope said his diverticulitis had “returned,” though he commented at the time that he was in good health for his age.
Though the Pope’s visit to Gemelli was apparently planned in advance, it had not been previously announced, causing alarm in light of his other recent health scares.
On Friday, May 26, Francis cancelled his morning meetings and appointments due to what Bruni described as “a feverish state,” though no other information was provided.
He was hospitalised in late March with a respiratory infection which the Vatican later said was diagnosed as bronchitis, for which he received intravenous antibiotic treatment and was released after three days.
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Pope makes ‘planned’ but unannounced hospital visit for check-up (By Elise Ann Allen, Crux)
