Pope Francis was admitted to a hospital in Rome on Friday morning for diagnostic tests and what the Vatican said was continuing treatment for bronchitis.
“This morning, at the end of the audiences, Pope Francis was admitted to the Policlinico Agostino Gemelli for some necessary diagnostic tests and to continue his treatment for bronchitis,” it said in a statement.
The 88-year-old pontiff has suffered from influenza and related health issues repeatedly over the past two years. He also underwent surgery in 2021 to address a painful condition called diverticulitis and again in 2023 to repair a hernia.
Last month, the the leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics also appeared in a sling after injuring his right forearm in a fall at his residence, according to Reuters. The Vatican had said he did not suffer any broken bones in the fall. It came weeks after the pontiff bruised his face in an earlier fall in December, the news agency reported.
In his autobiography, “HOPE,” which was published last month, Francis appeared to downplay his health issues, writing, “I am well,” according to Reuters. “The reality is, quite simply, that I am old.”
The pope, who often uses a wheelchair due to continued knee and back pain, wrote that “the Church is governed using the head and the heart, not the legs.”
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