Pope Francis will be traveling to Dubai this week despite revealing he has lung inflammation.
Francis did not make his weekly Sunday appearance at a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square, a day after the Vatican said he was suffering from a mild flu, according to the Associated Press. Instead, the pontiff gave the traditional noon blessing in a televised appearance from the chapel in the Vatican hotel where he lives.
"Brothers and sisters, happy Sunday. Today I cannot appear at the window because I have this problem of inflammation of the lungs,'' Francis, who turns 87 next month, said. He added that a priest sitting beside him would read out his day's reflections for him.
Francis is set to deliver a speech in the United Arab Emirates for the COP28 gathering on climate change Saturday. He described the global issue as a "serious problem, especially for young people," and thanked those who would be following his three-day trip with prayers.
Francis was seen with a bandage on his right hand and what appeared to be a cannula, but the Vatican did not immediately respond to an AP query about whether he was receiving intravenous treatment.
Vatican News says Francis underwent a CT scan on his lungs Saturday, citing the Holy See Press Office in reporting tests had negative results for pulmonary complications.
UN SECRETARY-GENERAL VISITS ANTARCTICA AS CLIMATE TALKS LOOM
Earlier this year, Francis was hospitalized for three days for what he later said was pneumonia and what the Vatican described as a case of bronchitis necessitating treatment with intravenous antibiotics.
This weekend has been very windy and unusually chilly for late autumn in Rome.
