Pope Francis Cancels Climate Summit Trip Over Recent Illness

Pope Francis has canceled meetings this week after experiencing breathing difficulties, the Vatican shared on Monday, including his upcoming trip to the COP28 climate summit.

The 86-year-old leader of the Roman Catholic Church fell ill ahead of scheduled meetings with symptoms that included inflammation of the lungs.

BREAKING: Pope Francis cancels meetings over breathing difficultieshttps://t.co/Ca6Q8kwXmqhttps://t.co/Ca6Q8kwXmq

— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) November 27, 2023

“The Holy Father’s audiences scheduled for this morning are canceled due to a mild flu,” the Holy See Press Office said.

Bruni added in his emailed statement that: "The Pope’s condition is good and stationary, he has no fever and his respiratory situation is clearly improving."

Pope Francis postponed a series of meetings due to a lung inflammation and breathing difficulties, the Vatican said. https://t.co/GXgeA3K90w

— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 27, 2023

"Francis had surgery in June this year to treat a hernia and remove painful scarring from previous operations. When a reporter asked him how he was when leaving the hospital, he replied: 'Still alive,'" NBC News reported.

"In 2021, he had a 13-inch section of his bowel removed because of narrowing of his intestines," it noted.

Despite the illness, Francis was able to receive a visit from the president of Paraguay Santiago Palacios on Monday, according to the Vatican.

The Pope has also remained a vocal proponent of peace in both Ukraine and the Hamas war in Israel that started last month.

He did, however, cancel a gathering on Saturday over the illness, leaving speculation over the Pope's health ahead of the Vatican's statement. His cancellation of the climate summit visit adds to growing concerns over his health in recent months.

The Pope remains in stable condition yet is scheduled to rest for now following his latest health concerns that have been the focus of many Catholics worldwide.