Pope Francis to receive hospital treatment for bronchitis

Pope Francis will be hospitalised on Friday to undergo tests and receive treatment for bronchitis, the Vatican has said.

The 88-year-old was diagnosed with the illness last Thursday, but has continued to hold indoor audiences at Casa Santa Marta, his Vatican residence.

The pope, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, has suffered numerous health problems in recent months, including long bouts of bronchitis.

He hurt his chin in a fall in December, before injuring his right arm in a similar incident last month.

Francis will be admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital, where he had surgery in June 2023 to remove intestinal scar tissue and repair a hernia in his abdominal wall.

The Vatican said in a statement that he would go to hospital after fulfilling his Friday morning commitments, which include a meeting with the Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.

“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 statement said.

No details were given about the length of Francis’ hospitalisation.

The pope is supposed to meet artists on Saturday as part of a special Holy Year event and to hold mass on Sunday.

Francis has said he has no intention of stepping down from the papacy, writing in his autobiography “Hope” that he did not consider the possibility even after major intestinal surgery in 2021.