JUST IN: Pope Francis has been admitted to the hospital for bronchitis treatment.

Pope Francis has been admitted to the hospital in Rome for treatment of an ongoing bronchitis, the Vatican announced.

The 88-year-old, who has been breathless recently after being diagnosed last Thursday and was seen delegating officials to read his speeches, was admitted following his morning audiences, it said.

”This morning, at the end of his audiences, Pope Francis was admitted to the Policlinic Agostino Gemelli for some necessary diagnostic tests and to continue his treatment for bronchitis, which is still ongoing, in a hospital environment,” a statement said.

The Pope had previously removed a part of his lungs as a young man and has long battled health problems, especially long bouts of acute bronchitis in winter. 

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.

Ever since his diagnosis, Francis has appeared bloated, an indication the medication he was taking to treat the lung infection was making him retain water. 

He has been admitted to the hospital on several occasions in recent years, undergoing surgery in 2021 to address a painful condition called diverticulitis and again in 2023 to repair a hernia.

Despite his age and health woes, Francis has remained very active in recent months, completing in September a four-nation trip, the longest of his papacy in terms of duration and distance. 

”I am well,” Pope Francis said in January. ”The Church is governed using the head and the heart, not the legs.’‘

He said it was ‘’embarrassing at first to have to use a wheelchair, but old age never arrives by itself, and it must be accepted for what it is.”