(Rome) Pope Francis canceled his audiences scheduled for Saturday morning because he has a slight fever, the Vatican announced.
“The Holy Father’s audiences scheduled for this morning are canceled due to a slight flu,” he said in a statement.
The pontiff is due to travel to Dubai on Friday for the COP28 conference on climate change, a global challenge that has been close to his heart since the beginning of his pontificate.
Pope Francis will be 87 next month. When The Associated Press asked him about his health in a recent interview, since undergoing abdominal surgery a few months ago to repair a hernia and remove intestinal scars, the head of the Catholic Church joked saying: “Still alive, you know. »
In a message on Saturday to the participants of the French Social Weeks, Pope Francis wished them success in their work.
“Your gathering takes place this year against the backdrop of a very worrying situation of international instability, which, also in France, demonstrates the need for social cohesion, fraternity and reconciliation between groups and communities,” says the message. of the pope reported to the participants of the conference by the Vatican Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin.
In the document, Pope Francis rejoices that “numerous civil society groups and organizations are helping to compensate for the weaknesses of the international community.”