Pope hospitalized with influenza

ROME, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Pope John Paul II was in a Rome hospital Tuesday suffering from influenza, italian media reported.

The newspaper La Repubblica quoted Vatican sources as saying that the 84-year-old pontiff was hospitalized as a precaution because of his poor health, but his immediate condition did not cause concern. John Paul II is afflicted with Parkinson's disease in an advanced form.

The pope developed the flu virus on Sunday. All his engagements for Monday were canceled. Tuesday evening he was taken to the Gemelli Hospital in the center of Rome.