Vatican cancels papal audiences because Pope Francis has 'slight flu'

Pope Francis greets visitors gathered in St. Peter's Square to pray the Angelus at the Vatican Sept. 22, 2024. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

The Vatican announced this morning the cancellation of all papal audiences scheduled for today, Sept. 23, saying Pope Francis has “a slight state of influenza” and “as a precautionary measure in view of the journey [to Luxembourg and Belgium] in the coming days [Sept. 26-29].”

The news came somewhat as a surprise given that Pope Francis looked well at yesterday’s midday Angelus greeting to thousands of pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square and showed no sign of cough or cold.

Furthermore, he was in good form the previous week as he gave public audiences every day since his return from his 12-day visit to four countries in Asia and Oceania. Beside the public audiences he also gave many private audiences each afternoon.

Last Friday, for example, he spoke for an hour, on and off text, on Friday Sept. 20, as he delivered a challenging message to leaders of the popular movements at the Dicastery for Integral Human Development. I was present at that meeting and saw that he was in good health and high spirits.

Francis, who will turn 88 on Dec. 17, has not rested one day since his return from the East on the evening of Friday, Sept. 13, and he needs reserves of energy before traveling to Luxembourg and Belgium, even if the visits to those countries are not as demanding as his Eastern odyssey, and the flight time is very short by comparison.

The Vatican attributed the reason for the cancellation to his having “a slight state of influenza,” without specifying what exactly this means, or what symptoms he may have. It could simply be a consequence of the rapid change in temperatures from his journey to the East and return to Rome. When we departed for Indonesia on Sept. 2, the temperature was 34 degrees Celsius (93.2 degrees Fahrenheit), but when we returned on Sept. 13 it was 17 degrees Celsius (62.6 degrees Fahrenheit). Since then, the temperature has fluctuated considerably, as has the humidity, as autumn sets in.

Apart from his mobility problem that has forced him to use a wheelchair since May 2022, the cause for concern about Francis’ health over the past year has been related to infectious bronchitis last March on the eve of Holy Week, which led to him being hospitalized for some days. Prior to that he was hospitalized twice in the previous two years for colon-related surgery.

He has only once canceled a foreign trip since his election as pope in March 2013, and that was to the COP28 conference at Abu Dhabi, November 2023, and related to “the flu and respiratory tract inflammation” problems. His doctors advised against his traveling then.

There is no suggestion that he will cancel this week’s visit to Luxembourg and Belgium. The cancellation of today’s audiences are seen in Rome as a prudential measure to ensure that there is no deterioration in his health condition and that he can make that visit successfully.