Pope Francis visits Rome hospital after catching the flu

Pope Francis visited a hospital in Rome for tests Saturday after coming down with the flu, the Vatican said. 

The 86-year-old pontiff, who had part of one of his lungs removed when he was a young man in his native Argentina, received a CAT scan during his trip to Gemelli Isola hospital, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said.

The test at Gemelli, where Francis had been treated earlier this year for a respiratory infection, had been done to rule out any potential respiratory issues and came back negative, Bruni said. 

Francis, who had to cancel his appointments on Saturday as a result of the illness, is scheduled to travel on Friday to attend the COP28 climate change conference in Dubai and meet with world leaders. 

The Holy Father, who turns 87 next month, has made a number of visits to Gemelli in recent years.

In March, Francis was hospitalized with a lung infection after he had trouble breathing, which the Vatican said was bronchitis. He received intravenous antibiotics and was discharged after three days.

In July 2021, Francis spent 10 days at Gemelli after undergoing intestinal surgery. Francis was readmitted to the hospital in June for surgery on an abdominal hernia and to remove scarring from prior procedures.

With Post wires.