Pope’s Events Canceled as He Battles ‘Complex’ Infection

Pope Francis will be absent from this weekend’s engagements as he continues to battle a respiratory infection, the Vatican said Tuesday. The 88-year-old pontiff has suffered from the “polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract” for over a week and was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Friday, where he has remained to deal with the “complex clinical picture.” “Due to the health conditions of the Holy Father, the Jubilee audience of Saturday February 22 is cancelled,” said Tuesday’s statement from the Holy See, which added that Francis has delegated a senior clergyman to lead mass at St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday morning. The statement did not mention the Sunday afternoon Angelus prayer, which the Pope did not deliver last weekend. The Argentine Jesuit has led the Roman Catholic Church since 2013 and, in recent years, has struggled with health issues—he has undergone hernia and colon surgeries since 2021 and frequently uses a wheelchair to offset chronic knee pain. The Vatican said Monday that Francis is not suffering from a fever, adding that “his condition is stable. This morning, he received the Eucharist and then undertook some work and some reading.”