Pope Francis skips window appearance over ‘mild flu’

Pope Francis appears at a window overlooking St Peter’s Square. Pic/X

Pope Francis on Sunday was skipping his weekly appearance at a window overlooking St Peter's Square, a day after the Vatican said he had come down with a mild flu.

In a brief statement, the Holy See's press office said Francis would still recite the noon prayer, which is followed by his traditional blessing, from the chapel of the hotel on Vatican grounds where he lives. His prayer will be televised live and shown on big screens in the square, where thousands of people generally flock to see the appearance at the open window. On Saturday, the Vatican said the pope, whose 87th birthday is next month, was taken to a Rome hospital to have a CT scan to rule out pulmonary complications and that the exam was negative.

Francis earlier this year was hospitalised for three days for what he later said was pneumonia and what the Vatican described as a case of bronchitis necessitating treatment with intravenous antibiotics.

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