Pope Francis will be traveling to Dubai this week despite revealing he has lung inflammation.
Francis did not make his weekly Sunday appearance at a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square, a day after the Vatican said he was suffering from a mild flu, according to the Associated Press. Instead, the pontiff gave the traditional noon blessing in a televised appearance from the chapel in the Vatican hotel where he lives.
“Brothers and sisters, happy Sunday. Today I cannot appear at the window because I have this problem of inflammation of the lungs,” Francis, who turns 87 next month, said. He added that a priest sitting beside him would read out his day’s reflections for him.
Francis is set to deliver a speech in the United Arab Emirates for the COP28 gathering on climate change Saturday. He described the global issue as a “serious problem, especially for young people,” and thanked those who would be following his three-day trip with prayers.
Pope Francis departs for South Sudan from Kinshasa, Congo, Friday Feb. 3 2023. He will be traveling to Dubai for a climate conference this week. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
Francis was seen with a bandage on his right hand and what appeared to be a cannula, but the Vatican did not immediately respond to an AP query about whether he was receiving intravenous treatment.
Vatican News says Francis underwent a CT scan on his lungs Saturday, citing the Holy See Press Office in reporting tests had negative results for pulmonary complications.
UN SECRETARY-GENERAL VISITS ANTARCTICA AS CLIMATE TALKS LOOM
Climate change protest in European Union conference featured numerous interruptions from climate activists. (Adobe Stock)
Pope Francis appears on a giant monitor set up in St. Peter’s Square at The Vatican, Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023, as he blesses the faithful gathered in the square for the traditional Angelus noon prayer. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
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Earlier this year, Francis was hospitalized for three days for what he later said was pneumonia and what the Vatican described as a case of bronchitis necessitating treatment with intravenous antibiotics.
This weekend has been very windy and unusually chilly for late autumn in Rome.
