Pope Francis spends another night in hospital

Pope Francis spent his second night in a Rome hospital “serenely” as he receives antibiotics intravenously to treat bronchitis, the Vatican said on Friday. A Vatican official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the information wasn't a formal Holy See statement, indicated there would be an update on the pope’s hospitalisation later in the day.

The Vatican reported he had experienced difficult breathing in the previous days. A Vatican spokesman, citing hospital medical staff, provided the precise diagnosis on Thursday night, saying that Francis has bronchitis, contracted through an infection, and that the antibiotic treatment had resulted in a “marked” improvement in his health.