Pope Francis was taken to hospital on Friday with bronchitis And he will jump several public events scheduled for the next three days, said the Vatican, after the 88 -year -old pontiff was seen difficult to speak during one of his meetings in the morning.
“Pope Francis was admitted to the Policlinico Agostino Gemelli for certain necessary diagnostic tests and to continue his treatment for bronchitis, which is still underway, in a hospital environment,” the Vatican said in a press release.
The pope has been suffering from bronchitis for over a week.
Francis will not participate in a mass of the Saint-Pierre basilica on Sunday, said the Vatican later, adding that a public scheduled for Saturday and a visit on Monday to the famous Cinecitta cinema studios in Rome were canceled.
Francis, who has been pontiff since 2013, has had the flu several times and other health problems in the past two years. As a young adult, he has developed a case of pleurisy and had part of one of his lungs removed, and in recent times, he has been subject to pulmonary infections.
Earlier this month, Francis told pilgrims in a weekly audience that he suffered from a “strong cold”, which the Vatican later described as a bronchitis.
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The Pope held several meetings on Friday before going to the hospital. One was with Mark Thompson, CEO of the CNN news channel.
The Pope was “mentally alert but fighting to speak for long periods due to breathing difficulties,” said CNN later.
The Pope also organized meetings with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, the official Cardinal of Vatican Luis Tagle and a group of Catholic philanthropy based in Puerto Rico.
The video of the Pope’s meeting with Fico showed that Francis was sitting at an office of his Vatican residence, smiling and speaking in a soft tone.
Francis has suffered from respiratory problems since mid-December. He begged the reading of declarations during several of his public events in January and February, attending the occasions but asking the aid to read his prepared remarks.
The Pope also had two falls recently in his Vatican residence, bruising his chin in December and injuring his arm in January.
Despite his periodic health problems and reduced mobility, Francis has maintained a busy schedule, including trips abroad. In September, he finished a 12-day visit through Southeast Asia and Oceania, the longest of its papacy.
The Gemelli Hospital in Rome, the largest in the city, has a special suite to treat the popes. Francis spent nine days there in June 2023 when he underwent surgery to repair an abdominal hernia.