Pope Francis Put Church Above His Health, Vatican Observers Say

In the days after the Vatican announced on Feb.6 that Pope Francis had bronchitis and would be restricting his activities to his residence, he proceeded to hold multiple private audiences a day with groups of nuns, pilgrims and leaders of foundations.On Feb.

9, he presided over an outdoor Mass in St.Peter’s Square, where the wind was so strong that it blew his white zucchetto off his head.

He could not finish his homily, passing it to an aide and saying, “I have trouble breathing.”Three days later, at his weekly Wednesday audience, the ailing pope had an aide read his speech.But then he shook hands with dozens of prelates, many leaning over to whisper greetings, and took photos with Spanish faithful, Milanese military recruits and nuns from Mother Teresa’s order.Two days after that, Francis was rushed to the hospital, with what doctors said was a complex medical condition that evolved into pneumonia in both his lungs.Many who know him said in interviews that Francis, driven by a sense of mission and a discipline born of his early training, essentially worked himself into the hospital.He is now bedridden after weeks of ceremonies and audiences — both private and public — that only intensified with the start in December of the 2025 Jubilee, a year of faith, penance and forgiveness of sins that takes place only every quarter century.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

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