ROME, Italy (CNN) -- Pope John Paul II was taken to a hospital late Tuesday with an acute respiratory infection, hours after aides announced he was suffering from the flu, the Vatican said.
He was taken urgently to Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic about 11 p.m. to have his infection examined further. The pope has been treated at that hospital in the past, but a rushed trip late at night is unusual.
Vatican sources said the 84-year old pontiff was undergoing a round of tests, including X-rays, so that doctors can determine the seriousness of the infection.
He has not been placed in the intensive care unit, the sources said.
The pope's Vatican doctors decided to send him to the hospital after his symptoms worsened, sources said.
Earlier Tuesday, the Vatican said the pontiff had canceled his public and private meetings for the next few days, including his general audience on Wednesday, due to a bout with influenza.
"The pope joined the millions of Italians who have caught the flu," chief Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said.
The decision to clear the pontiff's calendar came a day after the pope was forced to cancel his Monday meetings. At the time, the Vatican said John Paul had a mild fever.
Before the pope was taken to the hospital, Vatican sources said there was no reason for concern.
They said the cancellations were made to give advance warning to the thousands of pilgrims who gather in St. Peter's Square each week to get a glimpse of the pope.
The pope last appeared in public Sunday. His voice was hoarse, but he appeared to be in good spirits.
His health has been relatively steady in recent months, and he looked in better health than during the summer and fall of 2003, when trips to Croatia and Slovakia appeared to take a heavy toll on the frail pontiff.
The last time health problems forced him to cancel an event was September 2003, when he was suffering from a intestinal ailment.
The pope suffers from a number of chronic ailments, including Parkinson's disease. He has survived an assassination attempt and undergone nine operations -- including a hip replacement.
The weather in Rome has been uncharacteristically cold the past few weeks, and Italian health officials had warned of a flu outbreak.
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Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 11:13 pm Posts: 2948 Location: Caucusland
If the Pope dies, it would be creepily ironic that there was a news story floating around of a dove that wouldn't leave his room the day before he went into the hospital.
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Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 7:22 pm Posts: 4715 Location: going to marrakesh
really, not to bash the pope or anything, but it would make more sense to me to find younger popes. it would seem as though younger popes would have fewer health issues, though i suppose anyone can have parkinson's disease.
i hope he gets better.
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Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 10:53 pm Posts: 20537 Location: The City Of Trees
lemoncoatedafterworld wrote:
really, not to bash the pope or anything, but it would make more sense to me to find younger popes. it would seem as though younger popes would have fewer health issues, though i suppose anyone can have parkinson's disease.
He was appointed when he was 58 years old, and he's had the third-longest tenure as pope. Not quite sure what you're getting at.
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 4:01 am Posts: 19477 Location: Brooklyn NY
Maybe once he dies, the Catholic church will just, go away. Note I say "church" and not the religion. The Catholic heirarchy is one of the sickest, most corrupt groups of crusty old white douchebags to be in charge of anything, ever.
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Last edited by glorified_version on Wed Feb 02, 2005 6:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 7:22 pm Posts: 4715 Location: going to marrakesh
Green Habit wrote:
lemoncoatedafterworld wrote:
really, not to bash the pope or anything, but it would make more sense to me to find younger popes. it would seem as though younger popes would have fewer health issues, though i suppose anyone can have parkinson's disease.
He was appointed when he was 58 years old, and he's had the third-longest tenure as pope. Not quite sure what you're getting at.
okay. sorry. i thought he was pretty old when he was appointed. whoops. my fault.
_________________ and our love is a monster, plain and simple though you weight it down with stones to try to drown it it floats it floats
Joined: Wed Dec 08, 2004 8:58 pm Posts: 1148 Location: Green Bay
tsunami wrote:
As a Catholic, (as lapsed as I am), and though I seldom agreed with him, he was a powerful presense in the Church. Should he pass, he will be missed.
The Church itself will undoubtably undergo a period of instability in the wake of his death. But it will right itself like always.
I hope it rights itself a little more literally than I think you're implying.
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Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 7:19 pm Posts: 39068 Location: Chapel Hill, NC, USA Gender: Male
Green Habit wrote:
lemoncoatedafterworld wrote:
really, not to bash the pope or anything, but it would make more sense to me to find younger popes. it would seem as though younger popes would have fewer health issues, though i suppose anyone can have parkinson's disease.
He was appointed when he was 58 years old, and he's had the third-longest tenure as pope. Not quite sure what you're getting at.
Maybe they could work this like the Dalai Lama and peg some newborn kid. Have him start making doctrine at age 5.
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Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 10:53 pm Posts: 20537 Location: The City Of Trees
One of the big things that the new pope must bounce the Catholic Church back from is the awful sex scandals that they had. It's tough to blame the Pope himself for not coming down harder, since he may not have the stamina to do so, but the leadership in general should have done better.
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 10:52 pm Posts: 1727 Location: Earth Gender: Male
A guy at work told me a couple days ago that the Pope is the most powerful person in the world. With control of more land then anyone else. I dismissed it pretty quickly. But does anyone agree with him?
_________________ "The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum." -Noam Chomsky
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 12:14 am Posts: 8662 Location: IL
Green Habit wrote:
One of the big things that the new pope must bounce the Catholic Church back from is the awful sex scandals that they had. It's tough to blame the Pope himself for not coming down harder, since he may not have the stamina to do so, but the leadership in general should have done better.
how bout the southpark episode about this...
"we have to figure out how to quit getting caught molesting little boys"... priceless commentary by southpark
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 1:14 am Posts: 37778 Location: OmaGOD!!! Gender: Male
IEB! wrote:
A guy at work told me a couple days ago that the Pope is the most powerful person in the world. With control of more land then anyone else. I dismissed it pretty quickly. But does anyone agree with him?
Alan Greenspan is the most powerful person in the world.
--PunkDavid (dies again at James's artwork)
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I thought he was already expired.
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