Pope Francis Suffers from Fever, Cancels Meetings

Pope Fran­cis had to can­cel his planned meet­ings and audi­ences on Fri­day due to a fever, the Vat­i­can said in a state­ment. The 86-year-old head of the Catholic Church is under med­ical care and obser­va­tion, but no more infor­ma­tion on his health has been shared.

The Pope’s fever has not affect­ed his sched­ule sig­nif­i­cant­ly, and he is expect­ed to lead a Mass on Sun­day in St. Peter’s Square for Pentecost.

This is not the first time Pope Fran­cis has faced health chal­lenges as the leader of the Catholic Church. He was hos­pi­tal­ized for five days in March this year for bron­chi­tis, but he recov­ered quick­ly after tak­ing antibiotics.

The Pope also has only one lung since he had one removed when he was young in Argenti­na. This does not stop him from doing his work as Pope, but it makes him more prone to res­pi­ra­to­ry infections.