Pope Francis has pneumonia, which prevented him from appearing on the balcony of St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican yesterday to pray with the faithful. The 86-year-old Supreme Pontiff, who turns 87 in December, remained in the chapel of his Casa de Santa Marta residence to be more protected.
In the few words he spoke, he was clearly having difficulty breathing. Monsignor Paolo Luca Braida of the Vatican Secretariat of State read the Angelus. The prayer was broadcast live on screens in St. Peter’s Square.
At the end, the Holy Father asked people not to forget to pray for him. A bandage was visible on one of the Pope’s arms, indicating he may have been receiving medication through a catheter, as he underwent a medical examination at the hospital on Saturday to rule out possible serious breathing problems and tested negative. His entire schedule was canceled that day.
Today, Paraguayan President Santiago Peña will receive an audience, and tomorrow the bishops of the Spanish Episcopal Conference are expected to meet in the Vatican.