The health of Pope Francis, who refused to travel to Dubai for the 28th Conference of the Parties due to bronchitis, is “improving”, the Vatican said on Saturday.
“The Pope does not have a fever and continues to receive appropriate medical treatment,” the Holy See said in a statement.
However, the 86-year-old Argentine pope will give up the Angelus from the window of the Apostolic Palace in St. Peter’s Square in Rome to “avoid being affected by changing temperatures.”
Like last Sunday, he will pray the Angelus in his private residence. The prayer will be broadcast on a screen in St. Peter’s Square, according to the Vatican.
Breathless and exhausted, the pope hosted his weekly audience on Wednesday, asking an aide to read the text in his stead.
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Francis underwent a partial lung ablation as a young man and was forced to cancel a planned trip to Dubai for the United Nations climate conference.
Vatican No. 2 Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin traveled to Dubai on Saturday on the pope’s behalf and read out a speech in which he asked Conference of the Parties attendees to provide a “turning point” to accelerate the ecological transition.
Francisco, who would have turned 87 in December, suffered from multiple health problems, including his knees, hips and colon.
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In June, he underwent abdominal surgery, and in March he was hospitalized for three nights with bronchitis.
On Saturday, he canceled several hearings due to a “mild flu.”
glr/er/sag/eg