Skip to content

Pope Francis has ‘mild flu,’ cancels Saturday morning meetings

Pope Francis is sick and is not taking part in his scheduled meetings on Saturday morning, according to the Vatican.

“The Holy Father’s audiences scheduled for this morning are canceled due to a mild flu,” said the Nov. 26 statement from the Holy See Press Office.

It’s the second time this month that the 86-year-old pope’s activity has been affected by illness.

On Nov. 6, the pope had a cold and did not read his prepared remarks at an audience with Jewish rabbis from Europe, deciding to hand over the text instead.

“Thank you for this visit that I appreciate very much, but it happens that I am not well in health and that is why I prefer not to read the speech but give it to you,” the pope reportedly said at the time.

Pope Francis, however, was able to continue with his full schedule for the rest of the day, including a meeting with 7,000 children from over 80 countries.

The pope, who turns 87 next month, has experienced a number of medical setbacks in recent years. He has been hospitalized on more than one occasion, most recently in June for abdominal surgery. In late March, he was treated for bronchitis for several days, quipping on his April 1 release, “I’m still alive you know.”

In this morning’s memo, the Vatican gave no indication if there would be further changes to the pope’s schedule due to his health. According to a schedule available to journalists, he had been set to meet with Umaro Issoco Embaló, the president of Guinea Bassau in West Africa, this morning.

The pope is scheduled to travel to the United Arab Emirates on Dec. 1 to participate in the COP28 United Nations Climate Change Conference.

 

This story was originally posted on CNA.

Receive the most important news from EWTN Vatican via WhatsApp. It has become increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channel today

Share

Would you like to receive the latest updates on the Pope and the Vatican

Receive articles and updates from our EWTN Newsletter.

More news related to this article

Vatican News: Pope Francis Advances Sainthood Cause and Urges Action on World Refugee Day

In this week’s edition of Vaticano Updates, we bring you the latest news from Pope Francis and the

LIVE | Pope Francis in the DR Congo | Prayer Meeting with priests & seminarians

LIVE | Pope Francis’ Prayer Meeting with priests, deacons, consecrated people and seminarians in the Cathedral of Notre

Pope Francis urges world not to forget countries in need of God’s ‘gift of peace’

As the world continues to pray for him throughout his prolonged hospitalization, the 88-year-old pontiff has asked people to remember to pray for God’s “gift of peace” for those suffering in war-torn countries.

Synod on Synodality 2024 Explainer

Pope Francis highlights the Synod on Synodality as a spiritual journey guided by the Holy Spirit, emphasizing inclusion and reflection over political agendas to deepen the Church's understanding of synodality.

Pope Francis Gives 3 Tips to Catholic Communicators

This Thursday, November 23, Pope Francis met with members of the Italian Federation of Catholic Weeklies and the Union of Italian Periodical Press, providing them with three key tips for effective communication: education, protection, and testimony.

Pope calls for an end to global food waste

Pope Francis on Friday commended a U.N. agency’s efforts to end what the Holy Father called “the scourge

LIVE
FROM THE VATICAN

Be present live on EWTNit