More information has been released on the health of the 88-year-old Pontiff

Pope Francis during his regular weekly address at the Vatican before being admitted to hospital last week

Pope Francis is likely to remain in hospital for at least two more days, sources have told an Italian news outlet.

The 88-year-old Pontiff has been battling bronchitis for over a week and was admitted to the Gemelli hospital in Rome on Friday.

The Vatican has said that the Pope’s hospital stay will continue for as long as necessary.

The Italian news agency ANSA has suggested a discharge date around the middle of the week.

Due to his illness, the Pope was unable to deliver his customary Sunday prayer in St. Peter's Square or preside over a special Mass for Artists marking the Catholic Church's jubilee year.

A planned visit to Rome's Cinecittà film studios on Monday was also cancelled.

Despite his health challenges, the Pope took to social media to express his gratitude, writing on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday: “Thank you for the affection, prayer and closeness with which you accompany me in these days.”

As a young man, the Argentine Pontiff underwent a procedure to remove a portion of his lung following an infection. This experience has left him susceptible to respiratory problems.

He has been hospitalized four times since his 2013 election, raising questions about the state of his health.

In 2023, he spent three days at Rome's Gemelli hospital receiving treatment for an acute case of pneumonia, a diagnosis he shared publicly following his recovery.

He relies on a walker or cane to navigate his apartment and has suffered two recent falls, injuring his chin and arm.

Pope Francis's hospitalisation on Friday followed a busy morning of meetings, including discussions with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, Cardinal Luis Tagle, a Catholic philanthropy group from Puerto Rico, and CNN chairman and CEO Mark Thompson.

An individual present at one of these meetings, speaking on condition of anonymity, noted that the Pope appeared to have difficulty speaking.

The Gemelli hospital, the largest in the city of Rome, has a special suite for treating Popes.

Francis spent nine days there two years ago, when he had surgery to repair an abdominal hernia.

He also had a lengthy post-surgery hospital stay in 2021, after having his colon removed.