Pope Francis was taken to hospital on Friday with bronchitis and he will skip several planned public events over the next three days, the Vatican said, after the 88-year-old pontiff was seen struggling to speak during one of his meetings in the morning.
“Pope Francis was admitted to the Policlinico Agostino Gemelli for some necessary diagnostic tests and to continue his treatment for bronchitis, which is still ongoing, in a hospital environment,” the Vatican said in a statement.
The pope has been suffering from bronchitis for more than a week.
Francis will not take part in a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday, the Vatican said later, adding that a planned public audience on Saturday and a visit on Monday to Rome’s famed Cinecitta film studios were canceled.
Francis, who has been pontiff since 2013, has had influenza and other health problems several times over the past two years. As a young adult, he developed a case of pleurisy and had part of one of his lungs removed, and in recent times he has been prone to lung infections.
Earlier this month, Francis told pilgrims at a weekly audience that he was suffering from a “strong cold,” which the Vatican later described as bronchitis.
Francis has been suffering from respiratory issues since mid-December. He begged off reading statements at several of his public events in January and February, attending the occasions but asking aides to read his prepared remarks.
The pope also had two falls recently at his Vatican residence, bruising his chin in December and injuring his arm in January.
