the sovereign pontiff is better and “has returned to work”, announces the Vatican

Pope Francis, hospitalized since Wednesday March 30, in Rome for a respiratory infection, is better and “returned to work”, the Vatican announced Thursday. The state of health of the 86-year-old pope “is gradually improving and the planned treatments are continuing. This morning after breakfast, he read some newspapers and went back to work”, the Holy See said in a statement.

Hospitalized in Rome, Francis is suffering from a respiratory infection which is not Covid-19, the Holy See announced early Wednesday evening.

The Vatican had initially invoked the hospitalization of Francis for “scheduled examinations”. “In recent days, Pope Francis has been having difficulty breathing and this afternoon he was admitted to the A. Gemelli Polyclinic for medical checks”, finally declared in the evening Wednesday the spokesman of the Holy See Matteo Bruni.