Pope Francis returned to work on Saturday after canceling his Friday appointment due to a fever, the Vatican said, adding that the head of the Catholic Church had scheduled several private audiences.
The 86-year-old pope, who was hospitalized with bronchitis nearly two months ago, had a schedule full of scheduled meetings, but on Friday Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the audiences had been canceled “because of a feverish condition”.
It was unclear who the pope would meet with, as his agenda was not made public.
Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said the fever was due to fatigue from a busy schedule, as according to the published agenda, Pope Francis had eight meetings on Thursday.
His next public performance will be Sunday’s Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in honor of Pentecost, followed by the traditional prayer of the Regina Coeli.
He will meet with Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Monday.
The leader of the Catholics has had health problems over the past year, from persistent pain in his right knee to his recent hospitalization for bronchitis.
The episodes raised widespread concern and fueled speculation that he would choose to retire rather than serve life in office like his predecessor, Benedict XVI.
At the end of March, Francis was admitted to a hospital in Rome due to breathing problems and remained there for three nights, after being treated with antibiotics for bronchitis.
As he left Gemelli Hospital on April 1, the pope smiled and joked with supporters, “I’m still alive!”
Source: DN
