Pope Francis announced on November 26 that he had contracted pneumonia, while confirming plans to attend the United Nations climate conference in Dubai on December 1.
Earlier, the press service of the Vatican reported that the Pope, due to illness, would not speak in St. Peter’s Square and would deliver the traditional Sunday sermon via video link from the chapel of his residence.
What is known about the Pope’s condition?
In an address to the faithful, the pontiff said that he would not speak from the window of the Apostolic Palace because he was ill with pneumonia.
After this, he announced that the representative of the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, Monsignor Paolo Luca Braida, would speak for him.
The Pope’s painful condition was revealed by his weak voice and pale face. A medical plaster could be seen on the back of the pontiff’s hand. While Braida was delivering his sermon, the Pope suffered a slight coughing fit.
A Vatican spokesman said the pope remains committed to traveling to Dubai to attend the UN climate conference on December 1.
In addition to war, our world is threatened by another threat, climate change, which threatens life on Earth,” noted the pontiff’s message.
Yesterday morning, the Vatican press service announced the cancellation of all the Pope’s previously scheduled audiences for that day due to a mild flu condition.
To eliminate the risk of pulmonary complications, the pontiff underwent a computed tomography scan. The study gave a negative result.
In early November, the Pope, during one of his audiences in the Apostolic Palace, complained of being unwell and did not give a speech. Then the Vatican press service reported that the pontiff had caught a cold.
