Pope Francis was being treated in a hospital in Rome for bronchitis and to have medical examinations, the Vatican said Friday, the latest in a string of ailments that have raised concerns about the 88-year-old pontiff’s health.

Pope Francis will be hospitalized at Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic at the end of Friday’s daily audiences to undergo some necessary diagnostic tests and to continue his ongoing treatment for bronchitis in the hospital,

Pope Francis, who was taken to hospital on Friday for treatment of bronchitis, is suffering from a respiratory infection but is in a stable condition, the Vatican said. "The Holy Father ... has undergone specialist examinations and has started hospital drug therapy,