Pope Francis was taken to hospital on Friday with bronchitis and he will skip several planned public events over the next three days, the Vatican said, after the 88-year-old pontiff was seen struggling to speak during one of his meetings in the morning.

The leader of the world's Roman Catholic Church has been hospitalized in Rome and forced to cancel all public activities through the weekend, according to news reports. Pope Francis, 88, was active Friday morning,

Pope Francis was taken to a hospital on Friday to receive treatment for bronchitis after he visibly struggled to speak during a meeting earlier in the day, according to a report. The 88-year-old, who has been sick for more than a week,