Pope Hospitalized After Relapse

Pope John Paul II was rushed to the hospital Thursday after suffering a relapse of the flu, the Vatican announced, a day after the pontiff made his longest public appearance since being discharged from the clinic two weeks ago.

The 84-year-old pontiff, who suffers from Parkinson's disease as well as crippling hip and knee ailments, had the same symptoms as the breathing crisis that sent him to Gemelli Polyclinic on Feb. 1, a Vatican official said on condition of anonymity.

Papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said the pope was taken to the Rome hospital for "necessary specialized assistance and further tests." The pope was taken to the clinic by ambulance at 10:45 a.m., officials said.

Papal officials played down the seriousness of the hospitalization, saying a patient of the pope's age is always at risk from the flu. But Vatican aides said on condition of anonymity that the pope had a fever, congestion and had suffered a relapse of breathing problems.

The Italian news agency ANSA reported that the pope was conscious when he arrived at Gemelli. He was taken inside on a stretcher, the report said, and people who saw him enter the hospital said his face looked "quite relaxed." The news agency said he did not need a tube inserted into his windpipe to assist breathing.

A medical health bulletin will be issued Friday morning, and no more details on the pope's health were expected to be released before that, the Vatican said. Thursday's hospitalization was the pope's eighth since his election in 1978.

The pope's breathing problems can complicate the swallowing difficulties characteristic of Parkinson's disease. The lack of coordination of the muscles involved make it easy for food or saliva to get into the lungs, which can cause life-threatening pneumonia, and is one of the most common causes of death among Parkinson's patients.

The muscle problems also make it difficult for patients to head off infections by mustering a cough powerful enough to clear mucus from the lungs, especially if their posture is stooped, as the pope's is.

Rome has been particularly cold, wet and windy in recent days. The pope has twice appeared at his open studio window to address crowds in St. Peter's Square since his discharge from the hospital Feb. 10.

But he failed to show up Thursday morning for a scheduled meeting on new candidates for sainthood. No explanation was given for his absence and the ceremony went ahead, presided by the Vatican's No. 2 official, Cardinal Angelo Sodano.

"The symbolism of the pope not being able to do something so fundamental is pretty stunning," said said Father Paul Robichaud, a Church historian based in Rome, on The Early Show.

The Vatican released a letter the pope had sent for the canonization ceremony, saying that "for reasons of caution," he had been advised to follow it from his apartment by closed-circuit television. It was an indication that the decision to take him to the hospital was made suddenly.

Because of his ailments, there has long been speculation that John Paul might consider resigning. That debate was fueled during his hospitalization when Cardinal Sodano declined to rule out that possibility, saying it was up to the pope's "conscience."

The pope had been convalescing after his hospitalization but had appeared to be making a rebound. At each new public appearance, he appeared stronger, more alert, and his voice was clearer.

On Wednesday, the pope wheezed and looked gaunt but managed to make his longest public appearance since leaving the hospital.

The Vatican originally planned for the frail pontiff to address pilgrims in St. Peter's Square from his apartment window, but decided instead on a video hookup because of the rain and winds.

The change was in line with the caution the Vatican has been showing since John Paul was rushed to the hospital earlier this month with breathing difficulties following a bout with the flu. When he was discharged, the Vatican made clear that the pope would decide on his schedule in consultation with his doctors.

In all, the pope followed the audience for 30 minutes — the most he has appeared in public since returning to the Vatican on Feb. 10. Fully alert, he waved and gave his blessing at the end.

Earlier this week, a new book by the pope entitled "Memory and Identity" was published in Italy. The book, which is based on conversations taped more than a decade ago, includes John Paul's account of the 1981 assassination attempt that almost killed him, reports CBS News Correspondent Richard Roth.

In his account, the pope says he was "suffering" in pain and "already on the other side" of life as he lost consciousness, yet feeling a strange confidence.

Since his latest illnesses, that same combination of suffering and confidence, pain and determination, has become a symbol of John Paul's papacy, says Roth. But in managing the pope's image now, the Vatican is also struggling to find a balance between reassurance and reality.

The Gemelli Polyclinic has taken in John Paul so often that the Italian press has dubbed the hospital "The Third Vatican," after the seat of the Holy See on St. Peter's Square and the pope's summer residence in the town of Castel Gandolfo.

The hospital has a suite on the 10th floor that includes a chapel, kitchen and sleeping quarters for the pope's longtime aide.

In 1981, the pope spent 20 days at Gemelli after being shot in the abdomen and hand by Turkish gunman Ali Agca.

The Gemelli clinic was under tight security Thursday.