Pope cancels appointment because of "slight malaise"

The day before he coughed and sniffed. Now the Pope is missing an appointment. He is sick. And of all things during the Coronovirus outbreak in Italy.

Rome (AP) - Pope Francis has canceled an event in Rome due to a minor illness. The 83-year-old had stayed away from a meeting with priests of the diocese of Rome in the Lateran basilica because of "slight malaise", said Pope Speaker Matteo Bruni.

He prefers to stay close to where he lives in the Vatican. The other dates would take place as planned. The Vatican did not disclose exactly what the pontiff had.

In Italy there is a larger outbreak of the corona virus with more than 520 infected people - but in the north of the country and not in Rome. So far there have only been three cases, all of which have been cured. Francis is generally in good health, but he only has one lung and discomfort when walking.

On Wednesday, as usual, he held the general audience and the Ash Wednesday celebrations. He coughed and sniffed several times. At the audience he kissed children and shook hands as usual with many believers in St. Peter's Square - many of them were wearing respirators. Francis obviously didn't care much. He later pronounced his proximity to the coronovirus victims and thanked the doctors and helpers. He prayed "for the civil authorities and everyone who cares for the patient and who tries to contain the infections".

The Vatican has now also responded to the virus. The catacombs are currently closed to visitors nationwide due to the Sars CoV-2 outbreak. The underground tombs can be found in Rome and the surrounding area, in Sicily and in Tuscany, among others.

In the Vatican, there are disinfectant dispensers at the entrances to the offices. In addition, some events have been postponed in closed rooms. Several dioceses in the north of the country where most of the infected are registered, such as Milan, Venice and Padua, have held services. In some churches, holy water pools were emptied, in which believers often dip their fingertips to cross themselves.

Vaticannews on the Pope's prayer