Pope Francis revealed on Sunday that he suffers from lung inflammation but will travel to Dubai this week to speak at the United Nations climate conference.
A day after the Vatican said the pope was suffering from a mild flu, Francis did not appear at his window overlooking St. Peter’s Square every Sunday.
Instead, the traditional midday blessing was televised live from the chapel of the Vatican hotel where Francis lives.
“Happy Sunday, brothers and sisters. Today I cannot be at the window because I have a problem with inflammation of the lungs,” the pope said. The pope, who turns 87 next month, added that a priest sitting next to him would read him his thoughts on the day.
Among those comments, Francis said he will travel to the United Arab Emirates for the COP28 climate conference and will deliver a speech to attendees as planned on Saturday. He described climate change as a serious problem, especially for young people.
The discrepancy between the pope’s comments that he suffered from lung inflammation and an earlier Vatican statement that the pope underwent a CT scan showed no lung complications was not initially clarified.
The pope was hospitalized for three days this year with pneumonia, which the Vatican described as bronchitis, and required treatment with intravenous antibiotics.
This weekend saw strong winds and unusually cold temperatures for late autumn in Rome.