Pope at general audience: "I'm not well yet"
Pope Francis took part in the weekly general audience at the Vatican on Wednesday despite a new illness. At the reception, the 86-year-old complained: "I'm still not feeling well with this flu." His voice is "not nice".
According to the Vatican, the head of the Catholic Church has been suffering from the flu since last weekend. The Pope had to cancel a planned trip to the World Climate Conference, which begins on Thursday in the Arab Emirate of Dubai, on the advice of his doctors. Francis celebrates his 87th birthday next month.
In the audience, the Argentinian-born Pope had the text that he normally reads himself read out by another cleric. Meanwhile, he sat next to it. He used a walking stick because of his knee condition.
Francis' health has been increasingly difficult for some time now. He has already been treated in hospital twice this year: first for pneumonia, then he underwent open abdominal surgery under general anesthesia. According to the Vatican, however, the new infection is not pneumonia again.
The Pope had actually planned to fly to Dubai on Friday for three days to attend the World Climate Summit, as the first head of the Catholic Church in the history of climate conferences. It is possible that Francis will now be joined by video for a speech on Saturday. However, the exact plans are not yet known.
The Pope's illness affected his participation in the weekly general audience, causing him to have another cleric read the usual text due to his discomfort. Despite not feeling well with the flu, Pope Francis emphasized his desire to be present for the general audience. Drawing attention to his health concerns, the Pope mentioned that his voice was not in its best condition due to the illness.
Source: www.dpa.com
