Feb. 15 (UPI) — Pope Francis had a “restful night” in a hospital for treatment of “worsening of his bronchitis, the Vatican said Saturday.
Matteo Bruni, the director of the Holy See Press Office told journalists Francis, 88, “slept well” after being admitted to Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Hospital on Friday.
Bruni said he had breakfast and read newspapers as he continues his pharmacological treatment and medical tests.
The Pope’s fever has not worsened, he said.
He held audiences at the Vatican on Friday morning before his hospitalization, including with the prime minister of Slovakia and with Mark Thompson, CNN’s chief executive. During the meeting, the pope was mentally alert but struggling to speak for extended periods due to breathing difficulties, CNN reported.
The Jubilee of Hope audfience scheduled for Saturday has been canceled. The Holy Mass for the Jubilee of Artists and the World of Culture on Sunday will be presided over by Cardinal Jose Tolentino de Mendonça, prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education.
The meeting with artists, originally planned for Monday at Cinecitta, will “not take place due to the Pope’s inability to attend,” the statement said.
The Vatican press office released a statement Feb. 6 noting that Francis was suffering from bronchitis and held his audience at his residence in Casa Santa Marta.
