In Vatican City, Pope Francis, who has been battling influenza, announced that he had delegated the reading of a speech at a ceremony on Saturday to an aide due to his inability to read it himself because of bronchitis.
The hoarse-sounding pope mentioned, “I have prepared a speech but as you can see I am unable to read it because of bronchitis. I have asked Monsignor (Filippo) Ciampanelli to read it for me.” The speech was meant for the opening ceremony of the judicial year of the Vatican tribunal.
Following the ceremony, the pope managed to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during an audience at the Vatican.
At 87 years old, Francis has been experiencing several health challenges recently. Just a few days earlier, he had made a brief visit to a Roman hospital for a check-up after missing his weekly audience, citing “a bit of cold.”
He had to cancel appointments on Monday and the previous Saturday due to a mild flu, but he did address the crowds in St Peter’s Square as usual on Sunday.
Earlier in December, the pope had to forgo a planned trip to a COP28 climate meeting in Dubai due to the effects of influenza and lung inflammation.
In January, he struggled to complete a speech because of “a touch of bronchitis,” but later reported feeling better despite some discomfort.
During his youth in Argentina, Francis had to undergo a surgery to remove part of his lung.
(Reporting by Angelo Amante; Editing by Mike Harrison)
