Pope's trip to Luxembourg and Belgium still on schedule despite Pope's flu

ROME – Although Pope Francis had to cancel his meetings and audiences planned for Monday due to a “mild flu-like illness,” he is still expected to travel to Luxembourg and Belgium this week as planned.

In a statement on September 23, the Vatican announced that “due to a mild case of flu and as a precautionary measure for travel in the coming days, the papal audiences scheduled for today must be cancelled.”

On the same day, however, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni held a press conference on the Pope's visit to Luxembourg and Belgium from September 26 to 29, but gave no indication that the trip might be cancelled.

When asked about the Pope's health, Bruni told reporters: “The information I gave you this morning remains unchanged. The audiences have been cancelled,” and there is no further news for now, he said.

Pope Francis, 87, has enjoyed relatively good health all year and recently returned from a 12-day odyssey through Asia and Oceania, during which he undertook an extensive four-country tour with stops in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore.

Throughout the trip from September 2 to 13, the Pope appeared energetic and in generally good spirits, and since his return he has been able to maintain his regular schedule of meetings and events without any problems.

Last year, the elderly Pope suffered from several health problems and was hospitalized twice – once for severe bronchitis and once for an operation to treat an abdominal hernia.

In addition, he was often forced to cancel audiences due to colds or flu-like symptoms, or had to have his assistants read his speeches because of shortness of breath, as the Pope is missing part of one of his lungs as a result of severe pneumonia that he contracted as a young Jesuit.

In December, he had to cancel his trip to Dubai to attend a United Nations climate summit due to a respiratory infection. He would have been the first pope to attend one of these conferences in person.

Pope Francis also suffers from chronic sciatica and knee problems, which often confine him to a wheelchair or a walking stick. He has also undergone surgery for cataracts.

This year, however, the Pope has shown remarkable resilience, making several day trips within Italy, including to Venice, Verona, Trieste and Bari, where he attended a G7 meeting over the summer.

Currently, Pope Francis has not announced any further travel plans for this year. During a press conference on the plane returning from Singapore, he denied rumors that he would attend the inaugural Mass for the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on December 8.

After returning from Luxembourg and Belgium, he will preside over the final session of his Synod of Bishops on Synodality from 2 to 27 October, a multi-year global consultation process that will culminate this year with a second assembly in Rome.

During his stay in Luxembourg and Belgium, Pope Francis will meet with heads of state and government and civil authorities of the respective countries, as well as with members of the local Catholic communities.

In Belgium, he will also hold discussions with representatives of the academic world and meet professors and students from the Catholic University of Leuven and the Catholic University of Louvain – universities with close links to theologians who played a key role in the Second Vatican Council, as well as to theologians associated with liberation theology.

Francis is also expected to hold private meetings with European Union politicians and heads of state and government present at his official events, but a list of these meetings has not been made public.

Bruni said during Monday's briefing that he would provide details of any private meetings with the Pope as soon as they were available, as well as any relevant updates on the Pope's health.

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