On Friday morning, he held audiences at the Vatican before his hospitalization, including with the prime minister of Slovakia and with Mark Thompson, CNN's chief executive. During the meeting, the pope was mentally alert but struggling to speak for extended periods due to breathing difficulties,

The 88-year-old pontiff was diagnosed with bronchitis last week but had continued to hold daily audiences in his Vatican hotel suite.

Pope Francis was hospitalized Friday for the fourth time since being elected in 2013, after he was diagnosed with bronchitis last week. Francis had part of one lung removed as a young man and has recurring bouts of bronchitis,

Pope Francis will be admitted to hospital in Rome to undergo treatment and tests for bronchitis, the Vatican has said. The 88-year-old will arrive at the Gemelli hospital after his morning audiences on Friday,

Pope Francis will go into hospital in Rome for treatment for bronchitis and medical examinations, the Vatican said Friday.

Francis was also given blood transfusions, according to the Vatican, after blood tests revealed he was suffering from thrombocytopenia, meaning the platelet count in his blood was too low, a condition the doctors said is associated with anemia. Infections and medical treatment may lower platelet count.

Many who know him said that Francis, driven by a sense of mission and a discipline born of his early training, essentially worked himself into the hospital.

Pope Francis, 87, was hospitalized for bronchitis treatment and 'diagnostic tests' on Friday, Feb. 14, the Vatican said in a news release.

Pope Francis, in hospital in a critical condition with pneumonia in both lungs, passed a good night and was resting, the Vatican said today.

The pope was admitted to hospital on February 14 where he is fighting a complex respiratory infection and pneumonia in both lungs.

Pope Francis is in critical condition on Saturday, the Vatican said in a statement.The 88-year-old has been hospitalized for over a week now, initially to treat