According to the Vatican, Pope Francis has been forced to cancel his plans due to a fever.
As is customary on Fridays, the pope’s agenda was not made public this morning. ‘Due to a feverish state, Pope Francis did not receive an audience this morning,’ said Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni.
Francis’ health has deteriorated over the last year, from chronic knee pain to a recent hospitalisation for bronchitis.
Pope Francis spent five days in a Rome hospital for bronchitis at the end of March. After taking antibiotics, he healed rapidly and was able to travel to Hungary for three days at the end of April.
Francis was brought to a hospital in Rome in late March after experiencing breathing difficulties, and he stayed for three nights. Bronchitis was treated with medication.
On his way out of Gemelli Hospital on April 1, the Pope grinned and joked with visitors, saying, “I am still alive!”
He then attended Holy Week and Easter services, the most important week in the Christian calendar.
The pope has been confined to a wheelchair for over a year owing to persistent knee discomfort that he claims cannot be addressed surgically.
In an interview with the US Spanish-language network Telemundo that aired on Thursday, Francis stated his health was “much better.”
“I can now walk.” My knee has been healing nicely. I couldn’t walk before, but now I can. “Some days, like today, are more painful than others,” the Pope stated.
Francis went on to say that physicians caught his bronchial infection just in time.
“If we had waited a few more hours, it would have been much worse.” “But I was out of there in four days,” he continued.
