Pope Francis, 87, said he suffered from bronchitis on Saturday during an event at the Vatican during which, coughing, he was unable to read his speech.
“I thank you all, I have prepared a speech, but I am unable to read it, because of bronchitis,” declared the Argentine pontiff at the opening of the judicial year of the Holy See.
The pope, suffering from a “mild flu condition”, went to a hospital in Rome on Wednesday “for check-ups”. Earlier in the morning, Jorge Bergoglio held his weekly general audience at the Vatican, but did not read his text himself.
He had canceled his appointments the previous Saturday and Monday, however celebrating the Angelus prayer on Sunday. On Saturday he received German Chancellor Olaf Scholz with whom he discussed the hope of a diplomatic solution in Ukraine and Gaza.
François, who uses a wheelchair, has experienced a series of health problems in recent years, notably with his knees, hips and colon.
He also had abdominal surgery in June and canceled his trip to Dubai for COP28 in December due to bronchitis.