Pope Francis, battling flu, struggles to sit in Popemobile, limits speech at gathering
Pope Francis
Pope Francis, who is still battling a cold, limited his speaking during a weekly audience in St Peter's Square on Wednesday. Instead, he opted to have an aide read his prepared text. The pontiff also had trouble climbing into his vehicle, popularly called the 'Popemobile', and had to be helped into a wheelchair.
Pope's health concerns
The 87-year-old's health has been a concern recently. Over the past two weeks, his health issues have led him to cancel some engagements and avoid delivering some speeches.
Last month (on Feb 24), the Vatican reported that the pope was experiencing a mild flu. Last week, Francis underwent a CT scan at a hospital in Rome, and on Saturday (Mar 2), he disclosed that he had bronchitis.
Also read |Pope Francis undergoes medical evaluation in Rome hospital amid lingering battle with flu
During Wednesday's audience, Francis explained that he would delegate readings "because I still have a cold and I cannot read well." However, he briefly addressed the audience at the end of the event, offering greetings to the faithful and calling for peace in Ukraine and the Middle East.
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Arriving in his specially designed vehicle, known as the Popemobile, Francis walked with a cane to his seat due to his difficulty walking. Following the audience, he used a wheelchair to greet people. While attempting to return to the Popemobile, he appeared to struggle and was assisted back into the wheelchair to leave St Peter's Square.
This year, Francis is scheduled to travel to Belgium, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia. While the dates for these trips are not specified, there is speculation that his mobility challenges may affect his travel plans for the year.
Within Italy, he is scheduled to visit Venice on April 28 and Verona on May 18.
Despite his health concerns, the pope has remained active in recent days, meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday and making a plea for an end to the Gaza conflict on Sunday.
(With inputs from agencies)
