Pope Francis will hold meetings at his home in the Vatican for the next two days after developing bronchitis, the Holy See said on Thursday.

The 88-year-old head of the Catholic Church had on Wednesday morning asked an aide to read out his catechism at his weekly audience, saying that he had a “bad cold” which made it “difficult for me to speak”.

“He will read it better than me,” Francis joked. He had also sounded a little breathless during his Sunday Angelus prayer.

“Due to the bronchitis from which he has been suffering in recent days, and in order to continue his activity, on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 February, Pope Francis’s audiences will take place at Casa Santa Marta,” the Vatican said in a statement.

The Casa Santa Marta is a guesthouse where the pope lives in modest rooms.

The Argentine pontiff, who took over in 2013, has been plagued in recent years by health issues, from knee and hip pain to an inflamed colon. He also underwent surgery on a hernia.

Francis, who had part of one of his lungs removed as a young man, was admitted to hospital for three nights in 2023 with bronchitis, which was cured with antibiotics.