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Pope Francis "peaceful" after First Night in Rome Hospital

A view of Rome’s Gemelli Hospital where Pope Francis was delivered Feb. 14, 2025, to receive treatment for bronchitis.

Pope Francis had a “peaceful night” and read several newspapers Saturday morning following his admission to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital for bronchitis, according to the Vatican.

“The Holy Father had a good night’s sleep. This morning he had breakfast and read several newspapers,” Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, told journalists Feb. 15.

“Medical assessments and necessary treatments are continuing.”

The 88-year-old pontiff was admitted to the Gemelli Polyclinic Friday morning during meetings with several people, including Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico. According to the Vatican, initial examinations revealed a respiratory tract infection with mild fever.

A medical update from the hospital is expected later on Saturday.

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The Vatican has cleared the pope’s schedule through at least Feb. 17, canceling several appointments, including a jubilee audience planned for Saturday and a meeting with artists at Rome’s historic Cinecittà film studios scheduled for Monday.

Marco Mancini contributed to this report.

AC Wimmer is the News Editor for Europe and Asia at EWTN News. The multilingual Australian, raised in Bavaria and South Africa, served as editor-in-chief of several news media outlets. A graduate in Philosophy and Chinese Studies from the University of Melbourne, the veteran journalist is a former Honorary Research Fellow in Communications at his alma mater and served on the Board of Caritas in Munich.