Pope undergoes medical exam to assess his flu status

At around 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, the 87-year-old pope was transferred to Rome’s Gemelli hospital after his general audience to undergo tests aimed at assessing the severity of the flu that affected him on Saturday and Monday in order to suspend his schedule. Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican Press Office, confirmed that the pope had returned to the Vatican after undergoing the test.

According to previous reports by Italian media, Pope Francis went to the hospital center headquarters in the central community of Trastevere after hosting an audience event on Wednesday at the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican.

During Wednesday’s audience, the pope himself revealed to the faithful that he was “still a little cold” and wanted a collaborator to read the catechism for the general audience. “I still have a bit of a cold,” the pope said as he arrived in a wheelchair at the Paul VI Hall where the audience was held. “That’s why I asked Monsignor (Filippo) Ciampanelli to read the catechesis.”

Francisco entered the same center twice last year. In March, he suffered complications from a respiratory infection; in June, he underwent surgery to treat an abdominal hernia that could be blocking his intestines.