Pope Francis taken to hospital for bronchitis

Pope Francis was taken to hospital on Friday morning for tests and to continue treatment of his ongoing bronchitis, the Vatican said, the latest occasion the 88-year-old pontiff has suffered a health problem.

"This morning, at the end of his audiences, 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," it said in a statement.

Francis has been pope since 2013 and has suffered from influenza and other health problems several times over the past two years.

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.

The pope has been keeping up his daily schedule of appointments despite his illness, taking meetings at the Vatican residence where he lives. Before going to hospital on Friday, he had an official meeting with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Francis also held meetings on Friday morning with Cardinal Luis Tagle, a senior Vatican official, with a Catholic philanthropy group based in Puerto Rico and with Mark Thompson, the chairman and CEO of the CNN news channel.

A person who attended one of the meetings, who asked not to be named to discuss a sensitive matter, said the pope appeared to be struggling to talk during their encounter.

Francis suffered two falls recently at his Vatican residence, bruising his chin in December and injuring his arm in January.

Rome's Gemelli hospital, the largest in the city, has a special suite for treating popes. Francis spent nine days there in June 2023, when he had surgery to repair an abdominal hernia.