Pope Francis cancels meeting due to mild flu, Vatican announces | World News

Joshua McElwee

Vatican City, September 23 –

The Vatican said in a statement that Pope Francis had canceled engagements scheduled for Monday due to a mild case of flu.

The Vatican said it had taken the decision as a precautionary measure in light of the 87-year-old pontiff’s planned four-day visit to Luxembourg and Belgium later this week, but gave no further details.

Francis is due to begin the trip, his 46th foreign visit as pope, on Thursday.

Demanding

A 12-day tour of four countries in Southeast Asia and Oceania.

Francis now regularly uses a wheelchair due to knee and back pain, and has struggled with ill health in recent years. Earlier this year, he

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Several medical examinations were carried out for symptoms that the Vatican variously described as a cold, bronchitis or flu.

The Pope appeared to be in high spirits throughout his visit to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore from September 2-13, with a packed schedule that included over 40 events and covered a total distance of nearly 33,000 km.

His visit to Luxembourg and Belgium will focus on the needs of migrants in Europe and will also include meeting victims of abuse by Catholic clergy.

The Pope’s schedule in Luxembourg and Belgium is lighter than during his visit to Southeast Asia and Oceania, with the Pope due to take part in around 12 events over four days.

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