Pope will press on with Belgium, Luxembourg trip despite flu, Vatican says
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Pope Francis is scheduled to begin the trip, his 46th foreign visit as pope, on Sept 26.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis will press ahead with plans to travel to Luxembourg and Belgium later this week, despite cancelling his meetings for Sept 23 due to a mild case of flu, the Vatican said in a statement.
The tour, his 46th foreign visit as pope, will come less than two weeks after he returned from a demanding 12-day, four-country tour
The Vatican had said earlier on Sept 23 morning that the 87-year-old pontiff made the decision to cancel his schedule for the day as a precautionary measure in view of the upcoming trip.
Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni later told journalists the rest of the week would continue “as planned”.
He now regularly uses a wheelchair due to knee and back pain. He has also suffered bouts of ill health in recent years. Earlier in 2023, he cancelled several appointments over what the Vatican variously described as a cold, bronchitis and influenza.
The pope appeared in good form throughout his Sept 2 to13 trip to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore. He maintained a packed schedule, headlining more than 40 events, and clocked a total of nearly 33,000km.
His trip to Luxembourg and Belgium, due to start on Sept 26, is expected to highlight the needs of migrants in Europe and to include a meeting with survivors of abuse by Catholic clergy.
Pope Francis' agenda on this trip will be lighter than his recent one, with about a dozen events scheduled over four days. REUTERS
