Pope Francis has gone to Rome’s Gemelli hospital for a check-up.

Earlier this year the pope, 86, spent five days in hospital with a lung infection and last month had to skip audiences due to a fever.

The Vatican has so far not commented on the exact reason for his visit today.

Over the weekend he delivered a noon prayer in St Peter’s square in the Vatican.

Pope Francis, who marked his tenth year as pontiff in March, has suffered a number of ailments in recent years.

In July 2021 he had part of his colon removed in an operation aimed at addressing a painful bowel condition called diverticulitis.

The Vatican announced plans on Saturday for Francis to visit Mongolia in late August and early September.

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On his visit to the country he is due to visit a tiny Christian community as part of his aim to visit Catholics on the periphery of the church’s reach.

Statistics provided by the non-profit Aid to the Church in Need show that Mongolia is just 2% Christian.

Before that he is due to visit Portugal in early August where he will attend the World Youth Day in Lisbon and visit the Shrine of Fatima.

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