VATICAN CITY – An ailing Pope Francis will recite his weekly prayer and message on Sunday from the chapel of his Vatican residence instead of the usual venue overlooking St. Peter’s Square, the Vatican said in a statement.
Francis went to a Rome hospital on Saturday for a scan that ruled out lung complications after a bout of flu forced him to cancel some activities.
The Vatican on Sunday said he would deliver his usual midday message from the chapel in his residence to avoid going outside for the short journey to the Apostolic Palace. Sunday morning was particularly cold in Rome for the end of November.
The message will broadcast on giant screens to the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square, as well as on the usual television and internet channels, the Vatican said without providing further detail on the 86-year-old pope’s condition.
Francis is still scheduled to travel to Dubai on Friday to attend the U.N. climate change conference.
Francis skipped reading a prepared speech for a meeting with European rabbis this month because he had a cold, but he appeared to be in good health during a meeting with children hours later.
In June he had surgery on an abdominal hernia, spending nine days in hospital. He appears to have recovered fully from that operation.
(Reporting by Philip Pullella, Writing by Gavin Jones Editing by David Goodman)
