Francis has been suffering from the flu since Saturday, with an inflammation of the respiratory tract. Spokesman Bruni: “The general clinical condition has improved, but the doctors have asked the Pope not to make the trip planned for the next few days for Cop 28”. Francis “with great regret” accepted
On the advice of doctors, Pope Francis “with great regret” has cancelled his trip to Dubai, scheduled for 1-3 December for Cop28. The decision – announced by the director of the Vatican Press Office, Matteo Bruni – is due to the Pontiff’s state of health, whose CT scan on Saturday revealed an inflammation of the lungs.
The doctors’ request
Bruni explained in a note released in the afternoon: “Although the Holy Father’s general clinical condition has improved with respect to the flu and the inflammation of the respiratory tract, the doctors have asked the Pope not to make the trip planned for the coming days to Dubai, on the occasion of the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change”.
The Pope’s regret
“Pope Francis has accepted the request of the doctors with great regret and the trip is therefore cancelled,” the Vatican spokesman further explains. And he informs: “Given that the Pope and the Holy See remain willing to be part of the discussions that will take place in the coming days, the modalities by which this can take place will be defined as soon as possible.”
Pope Francis was scheduled to leave for the Emirati city on 1 December to attend the important meeting on climate change, where he was due to deliver a speech on the morning of Saturday 2. The following day, Sunday 3, he was also scheduled to inaugurate the Faith Pavilion within the Expo City grounds. Jorge Mario Bergoglio would have been the first Pope to attend the Conference of the Parties, to which he has always been attentive, to the point of mentioning it in much of his exhortation Laudate Deum as an opportunity for change in which to place hope for a world facing a worsening climate crisis.
Health conditions
Last Saturday, the Pope had cancelled all audiences for health reasons. Earlier in the afternoon he had undergone a CT scan at Rome’s Gemelli Isola Tiberina hospital, which Matteo Bruni reported on Monday ruled out pneumonia, but showed lung inflammation causing some breathing difficulties. For more effective treatment, he was fitted with a needle cannula to infuse antibiotics intravenously. To avoid the cold of recent days in Rome, the Pope had prayed the Angelus from the chapel of Casa Santa Marta rather than from the window of the Apostolic Palace, explaining his condition himself and thanking the faithful for their support.
In order to facilitate the Pope’s recovery, some important engagements planned for these days have been postponed; in their place, others of an institutional nature or easier to bear given the Pope’s current state of health have been maintained. The latter, however, has already shown a marked improvement since Monday, with no fever or particular respiratory problems. “The Pope’s condition is good and stationary,” said the director of the Vatican Press Office. However, doctors say it is preferable for Francis to continue resting and not to face the strain of every trip.
