Pope Francis has a respiratory infection that requires him to stay in hospital for "a few days"

The Vatican announced that the 86-year-old Pope Francis , who was hospitalized on Wednesday for pre-scheduled examinations, has a respiratory infection that requires him to stay in hospital for "a few days."

The media director of the Holy See, Matteo Bruni, said in a statement that the tests "revealed a respiratory infection (not a Covid-19 infection) that will require a few days of medical treatment in hospital."

A source in the Vatican told Agence France-Presse that Pope Francis' schedule for Thursday was canceled after he was admitted to a hospital in Rome to undergo regular check-ups, indicating the "possibility" that the Pope would spend the night in the hospital.

In a first statement, Bruni announced that "the Supreme Pontiff has been in Gemelli (hospital) since (Wednesday) afternoon for pre-scheduled medical examinations."

On Wednesday morning, the Argentine Jesuit pope took part in his weekly general audience with the faithful in St. Peter's Square, where he appeared smiling and greeted the crowd from the papal carriage.

And Pope Francis, who has been using a wheelchair since May 2022 due to chronic pain in his knee, was previously admitted to Gemelli Hospital for ten days in July 2021 to undergo colon surgery.