Pope Benedict slipped in the bath today and broke his wrist but aides said there was no cause for concern about the 82-year-old pontiff's health.
"He slipped in his bath this morning. He was taken to hospital for check-ups. It's nothing serious," Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said.
The German-born Catholic leader walked into hospital himself in the city of Aosta in northern Italy, where he is on vacation in a mountain chalet, for treatment for what the Vatican said was "a slight fracture to his right wrist".
The Vatican said in a statement that before going to hospital, the pope "celebrated mass and had breakfast".
Hospital sources said doctors gave the pope an anaesthetic before preparing to fix the fracture, but it was not immediately clear if the anaesthetic was local or general.
Reuters