Tonight, just days before Holy Weeks begins, Catholics are praying for Pope Francis. The Vatican says the eighty-six-year-old pope is in the hospital tonight after complaining of breathing problems. We’re now learning he will undergo treatments for several days at the hospital in Rome. It has been two years since Pope Francis last spent ten days in that same hospital at time for colon surgery. The pontiff’s audiences have been canceled for the rest of the week raising questions about whether he will be healthy enough for Eastern Sunday. At the White House President B told reporters he had just been told about the pope’s health problems and said he was concerned about his friend.

The pope was reportedly taken into hospital in an ambulance it was quite a turn for what had appeared to be a completely routine day with the pope greeting faithful here in St. Peter’s square. This morning, Pope Francis was kissing babies, welcoming children and addressing crowds at his weekly audience. But the pontiff appeared pained as he helped into his popemobile and soon after he was brought to nearby Gemelli hospital for what a Vatican spokesman called quote “previously scheduled checks”. This evening, however, the Vatican revealed Pope Francis had complained of breathing difficulties in recent days and will be treated in the hospital for a respiratory infection which is not Covid-19. This month, Pope Francis celebrated his tenth year as head of the Catholic Church. But the eighty-six-year-old has long struggled with health issues. As a young man, one part of his lung was removed after a respiratory infection. In 2021, he underwent intestinal surgery at the same hospital where he is tonight. His predecessor Pope Benedict resigned in 2013, citing age and the demands of the job. When Benedict died on the eve of 2023, Pope Francis presided over his funeral. Despite the pontiff’s age and health issues, he keeps a packed schedule, traveling to South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo earlier this year.