Pope Francis is being admitted to hospital on Friday for “necessary tests” and to continue his ongoing bronchitis treatment, the Vatican said.

In an evening bulletin, the Vatican said preliminary tests showed Francis had a respiratory tract infection, was running a mild fever and was in “fair” condition at Rome’s Gemelli hospital where he was undergoing drug therapy.

The pope has been recovering at a Rome hospital for at least two nights. According to the Vatican, the pope is pulling back from some of his duties, including leading certain prayers.

Pope Francis has been admitted to hospital after a case of bronchitis persisted for more than a week, a Vatican spokesman said on Friday.

Pope Francis has been hospitalized at Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic to continue his ongoing treatment for bronchitis and to undergo tests.

Preliminary tests show Pope Francis has a respiratory tract infection. The Vatican says he is running a mild fever and was in “fair” condition at Rome’s Gemelli hospital where he was undergoing drug therapy.

After suffering from bronchitis for more than a week and having obvious difficulty breathing, the 88-year-old Pope Francis was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital Feb. 14.

Pope Francis was hospitalized Friday for the fourth time since being elected in 2013, after he was diagnosed with bronchitis last week. Francis had part of one lung removed as

Pope Francis reached the two-week mark in his recovery from pneumonia Friday as doctors suggested he had overcome the most critical phase of the infection but held out on declaring him out of danger entirely.

The Pope has reached the two-week mark in his recovery from pneumonia, as doctors suggested he had overcome the most critical phase of the infection – while not declaring him out of danger entirely. The Vatican’s update on Friday morning also suggested a level of normalcy and routine as the 88-year-old continues recovering at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.

As Pope Francis continued to show "some" improvement in his lab tests, the pontiff remained hospitalized with a respiratory tract infection on Sunday, the Vatican said.