Vatican Pope skips Advent sermon
Pope Francis has canceled his participation in an Advent sermon that had been planned for some time, apparently due to a cold. During an audience at the Vatican, the 88-year-old head of the Catholic Church complained: "I'm very cold."
20.12.2024, 13:18
SDA
However, Francis then attended the audience and another appointment. According to a report by the Italian news agency Ansa, he appeared short of breath and had some difficulty speaking.
Francis, who only celebrated his birthday on Tuesday, has been suffering from health problems for some time and has already undergone operations. He now usually sits in a wheelchair when making public appearances. In recent winters, he has caught several colds. A few days ago, he suffered a bruise on his chin - according to the Vatican, because he bumped his head on the bedside table in the morning.
Busy program on the Christmas days
The head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics has a busy Christmas program ahead of him. On Christmas Eve, Francis will not only hold the big Christmas mass in St. Peter's Basilica. The opening of the Holy Door there also marks the beginning of the Holy Year 2025, a jubilee year that only occurs every 25 years. On Christmas Day, the Pope will then give the traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing. He was not due to give the Advent sermon on Friday himself.
Born in Argentina, he has been in office since 2013. At 88 years old, Francis is older than almost any pope before him. According to Vatican records, only Pope Leo XIII lived to be even older: the Italian died in 1903 at the age of 93. Although Francis' predecessor Benedict XVI, whose real name was Joseph Ratzinger, lived to be 95, he had already stepped down nine years before his death on New Year's Eve 2022.
