World | Pope Francis Pope Francis Cancels Audiences Due to Flu Pontiff's health precaution comes before Europe trip By Newser.AI Read our AI policy Posted Sep 23, 2024 10:13 AM CDT Copied Pope Francis gives his thumbs up as he arrives for his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) Pope Francis has cancelled his official audiences for Monday due to a "slight flu-like state," the Vatican announced. This comes just days before his planned trip to Belgium and Luxembourg and was described as a precautionary measure by Vatican officials. The 87-year-old pontiff is scheduled to visit Luxembourg on Thursday, followed by a visit to Belgium, culminating in a Mass in Brussels on Sunday. The trip comes on the heels of an extensive 11-day, four-nation tour of Asia that the pope returned from on September 13. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP) Read These Next Defense officials react to Hegseth's Quantico meeting. Government shutdown is here. Here's what to expect. President asks nation's top generals to loosen up. Colorado wants to give 'peace of mind' on Hunter S. Thompson. Report an error