Pope Francis goes to hospital for flu diagnostic test

Pope Francis went to the Gemelli hospital on Tiber Island in central Rome on Wednesday to undergo some diagnostic tests, explaining on Wednesday that he still had a cold, following reports that he had the flu.

During another bout with bronchitis, the pope went to receive a computed tomography (CT) scan at Tiber Island Hospital, a branch of the Gemelli Polyclinic where the pope works.

The pope had previously held an audience with thousands of people in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, but said he still had a cold and wanted a catechism read by a collaborator.

Don’t forget the people at war

At the end of the public audience held in the Paul VI classroom, he asked “not to forget the many peoples of Ukraine, Palestine, Israel and others who have suffered from war”.

He also asked for “prayer for the victims of recent attacks on places of worship in Burkina Faso; and for the people of Haiti, where crimes and kidnappings by armed gangs continue.”

In another letter, the Pope recalled that March 1 will mark the 25th anniversary of the entry into force of the Mine Ban Convention and expressed regret that “years after the end of hostilities, they continue to attack innocent civilians, especially children.”

He then expressed concern for the many victims of these devices, which “remind us of the brutality of war and the cost to civilians.”

In this regard, he thanked “all those who contributed to helping the victims and cleaning up the contaminated areas,” since “their work is a concrete response to the universal call to be architects of peace and to take care of our brothers and sisters.”