Pope Francis has cancelled his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s square due to illness (Picture: Shutterstock)
Pope Francis has cancelled his audiences scheduled for Saturday morning because he has a slight fever, the Vatican said.
‘The Holy Father’s audiences scheduled for this morning are cancelled due to a mild flu,’ it said in a statement.
Francis, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, underwent a CAT scan, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said.
The test at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, where Francis was treated for a respiratory infection earlier this year, was done to rule out any possible respiratory problems and came back negative, Mr Bruni said in a statement.
He is due to travel to Dubai on Friday for the Cop28 conference on climate change, a global challenge that he has deeply cared about during his papacy.
Mr Bruni provided no information about any change in his plans and in fact the Vatican on Saturday gave new details about his itinerary, suggesting the trip was still on.
Francis will turn 87 next month. When asked about his health in a recent interview – after setbacks that included abdominal surgery just a few months ago to repair a hernia and remove intestinal scarring – Francis quipped in reply what has become his standard line: ‘Still alive, you know.’
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