February 1, 200521 yr ~~~~~~~~~ ROME, Italy (CNN) -- Pope John Paul II was taken to a hospital Tuesday, the Vatican told CNN. Earlier Tuesday, the Vatican announced the pope had canceled his public and private meetings for the next few days, including his general audience on Wednesday, due to a bout with influenza. "The pope joined the millions of Italians who have caught the flu," chief Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said.. The decision to clear the pontiff's calendar came a day after the pope was forced to cancel his Monday meetings. At the time, the Vatican said John Paul had a mild fever. Before the report of the pope's hospitalization, Vatican sources said there is no reason for concern, saying the decision was made to give advance warning to the thousands of pilgrims who gather in St. Peter's Square each week to get a glimpse of the 84-year old pope. The pope last appeared in public Sunday. His voice was hoarse, but he appeared to be in good spirits. His health has been relatively steady in recent months, and he looked in better health than during the summer and fall of 2003, when trips to Croatia and Slovakia appeared to take a heavy toll on the frail pontiff. The last time health problems forced him to cancel an event was September 2003, when he was suffering from a intestinal ailment. The pope suffers from a number of chronic ailments, including Parkinson's disease. The weather in Rome has been uncharacteristically cold the past few weeks, and Italian health officials had warned of a flu outbreak. ~~~~~~~~
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