Pope Francis was being treated in a hospital in Rome for bronchitis and to have medical examinations, the Vatican said Friday, the latest in a string of ailments that have raised concerns about the 88-year-old pontiff’s health
“This morning, at the end of the audiences, Pope Francis will be admitted to the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic for some necessary diagnostic tests and to continue in a hospital setting treatment for bronchitis that is still ongoing,” the Vatican said. They later confirmed he was in the facility, and that he had canceled his meetings for the next three days.
Francis has made a number of visits to the hospital in recent years, and received abdominal surgery in 2023. He has been struggling with bronchitis in recent weeks and has asked aides to read speeches and addresses.
But he held audiences at the Vatican on Friday morning before his hospitalization, including with the prime minister of Slovakia and with Mark Thompson, the Chief Executive of CNN. Christopher Lamb, CNN’s Vatican Correspondent, who saw Francis at the beginning of that meeting, said the pope was mentally alert but struggling to speak for extended periods due to breathing difficulties.
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