Pope Francis' Audiences Cancelled Due to 'Mild Flu-Like Illness', Vatican Announces

Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credit: MASSIMO VALICCHIA / NURPHOTO / NURPHOTO VIA AFP 17:04 p.m., November 25, 2023

Pope Francis' audiences scheduled for Saturday morning have been canceled because of a "mild flu-like illness," the Vatican said in a brief statement. "The Holy Father's audiences scheduled for this morning are cancelled due to a slight flu-like illness," the statement said. The announcement comes a week before his planned trip to Dubai where he is due to attend a UN climate conference.

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Pope Francis, who has made the defense of the environment one of the pillars of his pontificate, is due to deliver a much-anticipated speech at COP28 in Dubai on Dec. 2. It should denounce the inaction of the countries concerned and encourage them to drastically reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

The pope was able to return home

The Vatican issued a second brief statement in the afternoon saying that the pope had been subjected to a "computed tomography," a medical imaging technique, "to exclude the risk of pulmonary complications." "The examination gave a negative result," reassuring the doctors of Pope Francis, who returned to his home in Vatican City, the statement said.

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Pope Francis' health has weakened in recent months, forcing him to use a wheelchair and fueling speculation about a resignation, in line with his predecessor Benedict XVI. Having undergone colon surgery in 2021, the leader of the 1.3 billion Catholics has seen two new hospitalizations in 2023, including one for an abdominal operation.