Worries and prayers

Meloni visited the Pope: “Joked as usual”

Pope Francis with Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (archive photo)

(Bild: Christopher Furlong)

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited Pope Francis in hospital on Wednesday afternoon. "We joked as usual. He hasn't lost his proverbial sense of humor," said Meloni.

On behalf of the Italian nation, she wished the pontiff a speedy recovery. The Pope not only lies down, but also gets up and spends time in an armchair, said an insider. Francis does not need oxygen, the condition of his heart is good.

As reported, the Vatican announced on Tuesday evening that the 88-year-old had been diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia (see video above). This means that both lungs are affected by the infection. Pneumonia is considered dangerous in people of advanced age, partly because there is a risk of other organs being affected.

Francis and Meloni

(Bild: Christopher Furlong)

Hesitant before hospitalization
In addition, the Pope had already had the upper part of his right lung removed as a young man in Argentina. After hesitating for some time, he went to hospital on the advice of doctors. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, his real name, is considered a difficult patient. "They want to take me to hospital. But I'm feeling better and I'd rather be treated at home," he is reported to have said shortly before his hospitalization.

Intercessions are said for the sick in many church services. Camera teams are positioned outside the Gemelli Clinic in Rome. Many of the faithful pray and lay candles, pictures and flowers. "The Pope is strong. He will surely make it," said an elderly woman named Marianna. The patient himself is not so sure. He may not survive the pneumonia, he is said to have told confidants.