Is the Vatican preparing for Pope Francis' funeral? Concerns rise amid pneumonia diagnosis
ALBAWABA - The Vatican is allegedly preparing Pope Francis' funeral after the 88-year-old prominent figure was hospitalized on Friday due to suffering from severe pneumonia in both lungs, according to The Daily Mail.
The leader of the Roman Catholic Church was rushed to Rome's Gemelli Hospital after enduring recommendations to leave the Vatican. Doctors diagnosed the Pope with a "complex" respiratory infection and halted several of his upcoming engagements.
88-year-old Pope Francis who still remains hospitalized, recently revealed that he has already "prepared his tomb" but didn't disclose its exact location because of tradition.
Pope Francis gives his weekly general audience on February 10, 2016 at St Peter's square in Vatican.(Photo by FILIPPO MONTEFORTE / AFP)
The Vatican issued a statement and said, "Laboratory tests, chest X-ray, and the Holy Father's clinical condition continue to present a complex picture."
Additionally, the Vatican didn't disclose when the Pope will be released, but Gemelli Hospital's Dr. Carmelo D'Asero revealed that while the Pope is not suffering from a fever, that's not necessarily a good thing, stressing the severity of the infection.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni recently visited Pope Francis on Feb. 19, 2025, and claimed that he's alert and hasn't lost his sense of humor, as reported by Wion News.
Meloni said, "We joked around as always. He has not lost his proverbial sense of humor."
According to AF Post, by February 19, Pope Francis is still making his daily night phone calls to the Holy Family Catholic Church residing in Gaza, since Oct. 9, 2023.
From his hospital bed, Pope Francis has maintained nightly phone calls to the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza.He has called them every night since October 9th, 2023, to check up on the children and pray for them.
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