Pope Francis' cold halts St. Peter's Square appearance
Pope Francis will not meet with the faithful in St. Peter's Square due to a cold. "I have a very bad cold," mentioned the Holy Father during an audience on Friday. The Angelus prayer will be held in the chapel of the Santa Marta House.
Pope Francis, battling with a cold, will not appear on Sunday in St. Peter's Square to lead the Angelus prayer. Instead, the prayer will take place in the chapel of the Santa Marta House, where the 88-year-old pope resides. The Vatican informed that this decision was due to the intense cold in Rome and the symptoms of a cold that the pope has been experiencing in recent days.
Due to the intense cold, together with the cold symptoms that have manifested themselves in recent days, Pope Francis will celebrate the Angelus prayer on Sunday, December 22, from the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta - the Vatican stated in a brief statement.
Pope Francis' illness right before the holidays
Though Pope Francis cannot engage in meetings with the faithful, he has tried to maintain pastoral activity in recent days. Even on Friday (December 20), during one of the audiences, Francis admitted: "I have a very bad cold." Nevertheless, on Saturday morning, he met with dignitaries of the Roman Curia at a traditional pre-holiday audience, during which he delivered a speech.
The Vatican emphasized that the change of prayer location is also related to the numerous duties of the pope in the coming week. In the coming days, the pope has important events scheduled. On Christmas Eve evening, he will inaugurate the Holy Year in the Church and then celebrate Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.
On Christmas Day, he will deliver a Christmas message and give the Urbi et Orbi blessing. The day after, he will visit the Rebibbia prison in Rome, where he will symbolically open the Holy Doors, expressing solidarity with prisoners worldwide. He will also celebrate Mass in this prison.
