Vatican: Pope Francis has bad cold

The Vatican said Thursday that Pope Francis is suffering from a heavy cold.

The Feb. 23 message said that due to a “strong cold,” the pope distributed copies of his speeches at two morning appointments, rather than read them aloud as usual.

Francis still took part in the two audiences: the first with young priests and monks from Eastern Orthodox Churches and the second with a delegation from the German NGO and non-profit Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science.

The Vatican did not indicate whether there would be further changes to Pope Francis’ Feb. 23 schedule due to being under the weather.

On the afternoon of Feb. 22, the pope celebrated Ash Wednesday Mass at the 5th-century Basilica of Santa Sabina on Rome’s Aventine Hill.

It was his first time returning to the basilica since the start of Lent in February 2020.

Via CNA