Pope Francis Cancels Appointments Due to Mild Flu Ahead of European Trip

Pope Francis, experiencing mild flu symptoms, has canceled his appointments for Monday. This precautionary measure precedes his upcoming trip to Luxembourg and Belgium. Despite recent health issues, the 87-year-old pontiff has managed a rigorous travel schedule, including a recent demanding tour of Southeast Asia and Oceania.

Pope Francis canceled his scheduled appointments for Monday due to a mild flu, the Vatican said in a statement.

The Vatican stated that the 87-year-old pontiff made the decision as a precautionary step ahead of his planned four-day trip to Luxembourg and Belgium later this week. Further details were not provided. Francis is scheduled to commence the trip, his 46th foreign visit as pope, on Thursday. This comes less than two weeks after he returned from a demanding 12-day, four-country tour of Southeast Asia and Oceania.

Francis now regularly uses a wheelchair due to knee and back pain and has experienced bouts of ill health in recent years. Earlier this year, he canceled several appointments over what the Vatican described as a cold, bronchitis, and influenza. The pope appeared in good form throughout his trip from September 2-13 to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore. Despite a packed schedule, he participated in over 40 events and traveled nearly 33,000 km (20,500 miles).

His trip to Luxembourg and Belgium is expected to highlight the needs of migrants in Europe and include a meeting with survivors of abuse by Catholic clergy. The agenda for these visits will be lighter than his Southeast Asia and Oceania trip, with the pope scheduled to engage in around a dozen events over four days.

(With inputs from agencies.)