Pope Francis went to a Rome hospital on Wednesday and canceled his audiences for the next two days to undergo previously scheduled tests, the Vatican said.
The Vatican did not provide details, including how long the 86-year-old pope would stay at Gemelli University Hospital, where he underwent surgery in 2021.
But their audiences through Friday were cancelled, raising questions about Francis’ participation during the Vatican’s Easter activities starting Sunday.
“The Holy Father has been in Gemelli since this afternoon for some previously scheduled check-ups,” the Vatican said in a statement from spokesman Matteo Bruni.
Francis appeared in relatively good shape during his regularly scheduled general audience on Wednesday, though he made a sharp face as he got in and out of the «popemobile.»
The purpose of the medical tests was not immediately clear. Francis had part of a lung removed when he was young due to a respiratory infection, and he often speaks in a low voice.
He spent 10 days at Gemelli hospital following 2021 surgery for a narrowing of the intestine, which included the removal of 13 inches of his colon.
Francis is due to celebrate Palm Sunday this weekend, kicking off the Vatican’s Holy Week celebrations: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil and finally Easter Sunday on April 9.
He has used a wheelchair for over a year due to strained ligaments in his right knee and a minor knee fracture. He said the injury was healing and lately he was walking more with a cane.
Francis has also said that he was reluctant to have surgery for knee problems because he did not respond well to general anesthesia during his 2021 bowel surgery.
He said shortly after surgery that he had made a full recovery and was able to eat normally. But in a Jan. 24 interview with The Associated Press, Francis said her diverticulosis, or growths in the intestinal wall, had «come back.»