Pope Francis will be hospitalized at Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic at the end of Friday’s daily audiences to undergo some necessary diagnostic tests and to continue his ongoing treatment for bronchitis in the hospital,

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 reportedly struggled to speak during one of his meetings in the morning.

On Friday, the pope appeared bloated and pale during the handful of audiences he held before going to the hospital.