“I thank you for the affection, the prayers, and the closeness with which you have accompanied me these days,” said Pope Francis, currently hospitalized for infectious bronchitis at the Gemelli Polyclinic, in his message released by the Holy See for the Angelus of February 16, 2025.
Also thanking the doctors who are taking care of him, the Pontiff greeted the participants of the Jubilee of Artists, whom he was unable to meet due to his hospitalization. He also called for prayers for peace in Ukraine, the Middle East, Myanmar, Sudan, and the Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Since February 14, the 88-year-old Pope has been receiving treatment at the Gemelli Polyclinic, a Roman hospital located a few kilometers northeast of the Vatican. Suffering from bronchitis for about 10 days, he underwent several examinations which revealed an infection.
The Pope is currently in a room on the 1oth floor of the hospital's central building. There is not yet news on how long he'll stay in the hospital.
When he was at the Gemelli in March 2023 for the same illness, he only stayed three days in the clinic. He had to stay 10 days in July 2021 and June 2023 for operations on the digestive system.
In his message for the Angelus, the Pope thanked the doctors and nursing staff at Gemelli.
“They do a very valuable and very tiring job, let's support them with our prayers!” he said.
Greetings to the artists who came for the Jubilee
This Sunday, Pope Francis was replaced at the Jubilee Mass for artists and the world of culture by Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education. The Portuguese cardinal read the homily that the Pontiff had planned to deliver on this occasion.
In his message for the Angelus, Pope Francis greeted those who had come to participate in the event.
“I would have liked to be with you,” he assured them, explaining that he “still needs treatment for [his] bronchitis.”
Calls for peace
In his brief address, the Pontiff took the time to emphasize
“the importance of art as a universal language that spreads beauty and unites people, helping to bring harmony to the world and silence every cry of war.”
The Pope then, as is his custom, took advantage of the Marian prayer to launch appeals for peace in various regions of the world. He cited the deadly conflicts currently affecting Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, but also the entire Middle East, Myanmar, Sudan and the Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Angelus and hospitalization
In the past, the bishops of Rome (Francis in July 2021, but also John Paul II on several occasions) have recited the Angelus prayer from the balcony window of the 10th floor of the Gemelli Polyclinic. This time, the Argentine pontiff's doctors asked him to give up this possibility, prescribing “absolute rest.”
This is only the second time that the Pope has decided not to lead the Angelus, the previous occasion being a hospitalization at Gemelli in June 2023, during which he had undergone surgery two days earlier for an intestinal hernia, with the risk of obstruction.
Unlike last time, the Pope has decided to publish the text of the traditional meditation, which he usually reads from the window of the Apostolic Palace every Sunday at noon before leading the Marian prayer.
