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By Joshua McElwee
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -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," said a statement, issued about eight hours after the pope was taken to Rome's Gemelli hospital.
"The initial tests showed a respiratory tract infection," it said. "His clinical condition is fair; he has a slight fever."
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the pope was serene and in good spirits, and had read a few newspapers.
Francis, 88, has been suffering from bronchitis for more than a week.
The Vatican said earlier on Friday that the pope would skip several planned public events over the next three days as he recovers in hospital.
Francis, who has been pontiff since 2013, has had influenza and other health problems several times over the past two years. As a young adult he developed a case of pleurisy and had part of one of his lungs removed, and in recent times he has been prone to lung infections.
Earlier this month, Francis told pilgrims at a weekly audience that he was suffering from a "strong cold," which the Vatican later described as bronchitis.
The pope held several meetings on Friday before going to hospital. One was with Mark Thompson, CEO of the CNN news channel. The pope was "mentally alert but struggling to speak for extended periods due to breathing difficulties," CNN later reported.
The pope also held meetings with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, senior Vatican official Cardinal Luis Tagle, and with a Catholic philanthropy group that is based in Puerto Rico.
Video of the pope's meeting with Fico showed Francis sitting at a desk in his Vatican residence, smiling, and speaking in a soft tone.
Francis has been suffering with respiratory issues since mid-December. He begged off reading statements at several of his public events in January and February, attending the occasions but asking aides to read his prepared remarks.
The pope also had two falls recently at his Vatican residence, bruising his chin in December and injuring his arm in January.
Despite his periodic health issues and reduced mobility, Francis has kept up a busy schedule, including foreign travel. In September he completed a 12-day tour across Southeast Asia and Oceania, the longest of his papacy.
Rome's Gemelli hospital, the largest in the city, has a special suite for treating popes. Francis spent nine days there in June 2023, when he had surgery to repair an abdominal hernia.
(Reporting by Joshua McElwee, Alvise Armellini and Giulia SegretiEditing by Crispian Balmer, Frances Kerry and Tomasz Janowski)
