ROME (AP) - Pope John Paul was rushed to hospital Tuesday night after he suffered an inflammation of the throat and had difficulty breathing while battling the flu, the Vatican said.

Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said the decision to take the 84-year-old pontiff to hospital was "mainly a precaution." He pointed out the Pope was not in intensive care but in the same 10th-floor suite of rooms in Gemelli Polyclinic, about 4 kilometres from the Vatican, where he has stayed during previous hospitalizations.

Navarro-Valls said the Pope has the flu and acute laryngeal tracheitis - an inflammation of the trachea - acknowledging the pontiff had a "certain difficulty in breathing." The spokesman, who has a medical degree, denied Italian news reports the Pope had a CAT scan at the hospital.

In an earlier statement, Navarro-Valls said the tracheitis and a "larynx spasm crisis" prompted the Pope's hospitalization at 10:50 p.m. local time.

The decision to take the Pope to hospital caught many at the Vatican by surprise and apparently was made by his closest advisers, including his Polish secretary, who knows John Paul from his days as Krakow archbishop.

Cars with Vatican licence plates began pulling up at the hospital only after John Paul arrived.

Navarro-Valls said more tests will be conducted Wednesday, and the Vatican planned to issue a medical bulletin sometime after 9 a.m. (3 a.m. EST).

The pontiff also suffers from Parkinson's disease, which apparently affects his facial muscles and makes it difficult for him to swallow saliva. It was not immediately clear if his disease complicated his case of the flu.

A Vatican official earlier said on condition of anonymity the pontiff, who has had the flu since Sunday, had apparently suffered a "breathing crisis."

Hours before the pope's hospitalization, Navarro-Valls said on Vatican Radio the pontiff would likely resume his regular schedule of engagements in a few days.

A close member of the Pope's staff, U.S. Archbishop James Harvey, said the Pope had congestion and a slight fever during the day.

Late into the evening, the Vatican appeared calm with no traffic or sign of an alert.

Gemelli Polyclinic is the same Roman Catholic teaching hospital he was taken to after being shot in the abdomen in 1981 and at which he has had several operations.

He was last seen in public Sunday, when he made his regular noontime appearance at his window overlooking St. Peter's Square and released a dove in a sign of peace. He appeared remarkably lively but his words were barely audible.

Until the Pope was taken to the hospital, the Vatican had been issuing reassuring news about his condition, up to Tuesday's late-night newscast on Vatican Radio.

First word of his transfer to the hospital Tuesday night came from Italian news media.

The Vatican announced earlier Tuesday it had cancelled the Pope's engagements for the next few days.

The cancelled appointments included John Paul's weekly public audience Wednesday. Besides the traditional morning gathering with the faithful, he had been scheduled to preside at a candle-blessing service in St. Peter's Basilica that evening.

The flu has been sweeping through Italy since December. The Rome region, which is shivering through a cold spell that has dropped temperatures below freezing at night, has been among those hit the hardest.

About 40 per cent of the flu cases have been children, with the elderly making up only a small fraction of cases after an aggressive campaign of flu vaccinations for older people, health officials said.

It was not known whether the pontiff had received a flu shot.

Vatican Radio asked Navarro-Valls earlier Tuesday if the Pope felt the good wishes of people worldwide who are concerned about his health.

"I think so, and as always, the Holy Father is grateful for the prayers of the faithful and of all those who love him. I think this closeness means a lot to him," Navarro-Valls said.

John Paul has kept a busy schedule, despite experiencing difficulties with speech and movement that are typical for Parkinson's sufferers.

The last time the Pope skipped an audience for illness was in September 2003, when he cancelled his traditional Wednesday appointment for pilgrims and tourists because of an intestinal ailment.

The Vatican makes brief announcements when the Pope falls ill but rarely provides details about the extent of the illness or any medication he may be taking.