Pope Francis canceled all the meetings scheduled for this Friday due to health problems, including a meeting with the Argentine Foreign Minister, Santiago Cafiero, official sources reported.
Holy See spokesman Matteo Bruni told reporters that the pope had to cancel his Friday schedule to “undergo medical check-ups” due to acute pain in his right knee.
Francisco, 85, has had health problems this year. He suffers from severe knee pain and has difficulty walking, which has marked all the ceremonies.
On Palm Sunday, before crowds of faithful, Francisco was almost always seated, he could not walk in procession, he arrived in a black car at the altar and was accompanied by an assistant.
The long ceremonies of Holy Week represented a problem due to the inflammation that he has suffered since January in his knee, for which he rarely gets up, uses the popemobile more frequently and needs the support of an assistant.
On Sunday, during the Urbi et Orbi blessing from St. Peter’s Square, before a crowd, he was unable to read his entire speech standing up and had to sit down in the middle of the Easter message.
Francis, who celebrated his ninth year as pontificate in March, also has chronic sciatica problems, which usually cause him severe pain, and he underwent a delicate colon operation last July.
In February, he canceled a trip to Florence (central Italy) due to acute knee pain, “an acute gonalgia”, for which he was prescribed a period of rest.
“I have been told that it only happens to old people, so I don’t know why it has happened to me,” the pontiff then joked during a general audience.
The meeting with the Argentine foreign minister was scheduled for Friday morning and was considered an important opportunity to discuss the political situation in his country, Latin America, as well as the conflict in Europe after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“He was suspended,” a source from the Foreign Ministry confirmed to AFP.
Cafiero has other meetings scheduled in Rome, including with his Italian counterpart, Luigi Di Maio, as well as with businessmen and authorities from the FAO and the World Food Program (WFP) to discuss the world food crisis caused by the war in Ukraine.
