Pope Francis visits hospital after getting the flu

Pope Francis: Pope Francis attends the Stations of the Cross with young people on Meeting Hill at Parque Eduardo VII on Aug. 4, 2023, in Lisbon, Portugal. Pope Francis visits Portugal for World Youth Day (WYD) which takes place over the first week of August. WYD is an international Catholic rally inaugurated by St. John Paul II to invigorate young people in their faith. Pope Francis will travel around Portugal during his five-day visit holding masses and confessions for young people and meeting Portuguese catholic clergy members, he will also visit The Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. (Pool/Getty Images)

By Jessica Goodman, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

ROME — Pope Francis visited a hospital for tests after he came down with the flu, Vatican officials say.

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The Vatican said that the pontiff went to the hospital on Saturday for tests after he got the flu. According to The Associated Press, the test results ruled out that Pope Francis had any respiratory problems.

Earlier Saturday, Pope Francis canceled his audiences due to his illness.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said, according to the AP, that Pope Francis had a CT scan. Francis had part of one of his lungs removed when he was younger.

The tests were done at the hospital where Pope Francis was treated for a respiratory infection earlier this year.

The pope turns 87 on Dec. 17, according to the AP.

He is expected to be traveling on Friday to Dubai for the COP28 conference on climate change, the AP reported.

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Francis was elected pope on March 13, 2013, after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI two weeks earlier.