The Pope spent a peaceful night in the hospital, receiving drug treatment and catching up on paperwork, according to the Vatican.

Share and Follow

A marble statue of late Pope John Paul II is backdropped by the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, where Pope Francis was hospitalized Friday after a weeklong bout of bronchitis worsened and is receiving drug therapy for a respiratory tract infection. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

The Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, where Pope Francis was hospitalized Friday after a weeklong bout of bronchitis worsened and is receiving drug therapy for a respiratory tract infection, is seen on a tv camera monitor, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

A marble statue of late Pope John Paul II and the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, where Pope Francis was hospitalized Friday after a weeklong bout of bronchitis worsened and is receiving drug therapy for a respiratory tract infection, are reflected in a puddle, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

ROME – Pope Francis slept well during a quiet first night in the hospital after being admitted with a respiratory tract infection, and was up eating and reading Saturday, the Vatican said.

Francis, 88, ate breakfast Saturday morning and read the newspapers while continuing his drug therapy, spokesman Matteo Bruni said.

Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Friday after a weeklong bout of bronchitis worsened. It was his fourth hospitalization since his 2013 election and raised questions about his increasingly precarious health.

Preliminary tests showed he had a respiratory tract infection and a slight fever. The Vatican canceled his audiences through Monday at least.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.