The Vatican releases the first image of Pope Francis in hospital:: Rome, Italy:: March 16, 2025:: Children gathered outside the hospital to offer a symbolic 'hug of hope' The pope was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on February 14 with a severe respiratory infection that has required evolving treatment.

For much of the church’s history, the pope’s body was closely associated with the sanctity of his office, as the papal historian Agostino Paravicini Bagliani described in detail in his 1994 book “The Pope’s Body.” Sanctity is often bound up with mystery, and so the head of the church’s health was shrouded in secrecy until the past century.