At the Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Francis has been hospitalized for pneumonia since last Friday, things are continuing normally for the thousands of patients. However, there are some relatively discreet signs of the Pontiff’s presence. I.MEDIA went to the hospital on February 18, 2025, and can report that everything is being done to protect the pope from curious eyes.
Later that evening, a beautiful rainbow seemed to reflect God’s care too.
Media presence
As soon as you arrive at the hospital in the northwest of Rome, in the Trionfale district, a few details indicate the presence of a distinguished guest. On the lawn overlooking the main driveway, international television and media channels — CNN, RAI, AP, BFM — have set up their marquees and trained their cameras on the building.
“Do you know where the Pope’s windows are?” ask some among the 20 or so journalists — exhausted by the hours of waiting and the series of live broadcasts — as they scan the gray, beige, and yellow façade.
Below, at the foot of the giant statue of John Paul II erected in memory of the Polish pope — who stayed at Gemelli no less than 10 times during his pontificate — candles are burning, some of them dedicated to the pope’s health.
“Get well soon, thoughts from the United States,” reads a card left open in a bouquet of flowers. On a candle, a hand has traced a prayer in Italian for the pope. The person also prays that his children find a job.
Last Sunday, about 50 people gathered here, hoping to receive a sign from the pope, or to see him at his window. But it was no use; the 266th pope didn’t show up for the Angelus prayer traditionally recited by the pontiffs on Sundays. Two days later, no one was waiting anymore, and life continued as normal at the large 1,600-bed complex.
Discreet security measures
In the entrance hall, we note the routine passage of those who come to ask for information at the desk, or who arrive for a medical appointment. A group of caregivers in white coats are returning from their lunch break; a Franciscan chaplain in his brown cassock is chatting with visitors; an elderly couple arrives with difficulty, supporting each other by the arm.
Further on, near the miniature Way of the Cross set up in the entrance to the Gemelli, two women hug each other, visibly moved and shedding tears. A slight hubbub makes itself heard from the lines of hungry people stretching out in the cafeteria. Meanwhile, fundraising enthusiasts are busy trying to find donors to support scientific research, insistently accosting all those who enter.
Back in the corridors, the Pope’s presence is emphasized by security agents, gendarmes, and police officers, who screen visitors heading for the elevator to the upper floors. With discreet earpieces and dressed in civilian clothes, they’re hardly noticeable in the decor where hundreds of people cross paths at all hours.
Ten floors up, the Bishop of Rome enjoys unique treatment among the nearly 80,000 patients hospitalized each year at Gemelli. A “papal suite” is reserved for the head of the Catholic Church.
On the ground floor, near the silent chapel where two people are taking refuge, one last element catches the eye: a small podium has been set up in anticipation of a medical press conference, as was the case during Francis’ last hospitalization in June 2023. “It could happen tomorrow,” says a source at Gemelli. An event that could very soon attract a horde of journalists to the establishment.
And today we celebrate...