Pope Francis in hospital for bronchitis treatment

ANKARA

Pope Francis was admitted to a hospital for bronchitis treatment on Friday, the Vatican said.

The 88-year-old pontiff was admitted to the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital in Rome to undergo several tests and continue treatment for his ongoing bout of bronchitis.

Pope Francis has been suffering from bronchitis for several days.

Last Sunday during a Mass at the Vatican, he asked an aide to complete his speech because he was having trouble breathing.

However, he was still able to carry out his scheduled audiences, meeting with Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico on Friday morning.

This is yet another health problem that the pontiff has faced in recent years.

In 2022, he canceled planned trips to Africa due to problems with his knee, which have left him walking with a cane or using a wheelchair.

In March 2023, he was hospitalized in Rome with a respiratory infection. A few months later, he underwent abdominal surgery due to a hernia.

Earlier this year, the Vatican reported that the Pope fell over at his home, slightly injuring his right arm.

But the pontiff, born in Argentina in 1936, has suffered health problems for much of his life.

When he was 21, he had part of his lung removed due to life-threatening pneumonia and three cysts. He has said the ordeal inspired him to join the Jesuits when he recovered.

In his recently launched autobiography, he wrote that he feels healthy and has no plans to resign.

"I am well," he wrote. "The reality is, quite simply, that I am old."