The 87-year-old pontiff participated this Saturday (2 March) in the opening of the judicial year
Pope Francis was unable to read his speech during the opening of the judicial year at the Vatican, this Saturday (2 March 2024). According to the pontiff himself, he has bronchitis.
“Thank you all, I prepared a speech but I can’t read it because of bronchitis”, he stated. The pontiff, who had been suffering from the flu, asked an advisor for help to carry out the reading. The information is from Reuters.
The pope's attitude raises concern about his health. Last Wednesday (Feb 28), Francisco went to the Gemelli hospital, in Rome, to undergo medical examinations, according to information from the Vatican News.
Days before, Francisco even canceled his commitments because of the flu. In a press release at the time, the Vatican reported that the measure was taken as a “precaution” and that the pontiff had mild symptoms.
“Due to a mild flu-like condition, the Pope canceled today’s audiences as a precautionary measure”, communicated the Holy See's press organ, without giving further details about Francis' health status.
In November 2023, the pope also experienced setbacks regarding his health that caused him to cancel commitments. At the time, the Vatican issued a statement stating that the pope had the flu. Then, the condition progressed to a lung infection that made him cancel his trip to COP28 (United Nations Conference on Climate Change), in December.
After the event, Francis received the Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz for a meeting at the Vatican. The wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip were some of the topics discussed.
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