Pope has been suffering from bronchitis in recent days.

Pope Francis is to be admitted to hospital in Rome to receive medical treatment and undergo diagnostic tests for bronchitis, the Vatican press office said on Friday.

The 88-year-old pontiff, who has been suffering from bronchitis for more than a week, will be admitted to the Gemelli Hospital following his Friday morning audiences.

Francis will receive the "necessary diagnostic tests" and will "continue hospital treatment for his ongoing bronchitis,” the Holy See press office said.

In recent days the pope acknowledged that he had been short of breath due to bronchitis, asking others to read his prepared remarks at several public events.

Jubilee of Artists

The pontiff's admittance to hospital comes as the Vatican prepares to host the Jubilee of Artists and the World of Culture, a key event on the Jubilee Year calendar.

The Vatican announced on Friday that the programme for the upcoming event has been modified as a result of the pope's hospitalisation.

An audience with the pope on Saturday has been cancelled, while a Jubilee Mass, set to take place on Sunday, will be presided over by Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça.

The pope's scheduled meeting with artists at Rome's Cinecittà Film Studios on Monday has also been cancelled.

Previous hospitalisations

In 2023, Francis underwent intestinal surgery at the Gemelli, two years after undergoing colon surgery at the same hospital.

The pontiff, who had part of one lung removed in his 20s, was also treated for bronchitis at the Gemelli in 2023.

The Rome hospital has a ward reserved exclusively for popes, where Pope John Paul II was treated after he was shot in 1981.

Photo credit: Alessia Pierdomenico / Shutterstock.com.