The Vatican announced Saturday that the pope has come down with a cold and will not perform his usual outdoor prayers on Sunday, instead blessing indoors a few days before Christmas Eve and his Masses.
Cold weather and the pope's busy schedule during Christmas week were cited as reasons for the 88-year-old pontiff giving the blessing from his residence in the Vatican's Santa Marta Basilica.
The Pope usually addresses the public from the window of St. Peter's Basilica overlooking St. Peter's Square on Sundays.
Pope Francis exchanges congratulations with Vatican employees today, Saturday. (AP Photo/Andrew Medicini)
Pope Francis He looked crowded on Saturday as he delivered his annual Christmas greeting to Vatican bureaucrats.
The octogenarian has suffered from bronchitis before, including last year when he was hospitalized, and also missed the climate change meeting in Dubai last year due to flu and pneumonia.
The Vatican announced Saturday that the pope has come down with a cold and will not perform his usual outdoor prayers on Sunday, instead blessing indoors a few days before Christmas Eve and his Masses. (AP Photo/Andrew Medicini)
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The Pope fell ill with pleurisy in his twenties and had to have part of his lungs removed Native Argentina.
The Pope usually addresses the public from the window of St. Peter's Basilica overlooking St. Peter's Square on Sundays. (Riccardo De Luca/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Christmas Eve also marks the beginning of the Vatican's Holy Year, with some 32 million pilgrims expected to head to Rome throughout 2025.
The Pope will open the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica on Christmas Eve, and on December 26, he will head to the main prison in Rome to inaugurate the beginning of the Holy Year there.
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the holy year, Also known as the Jubilee, it is usually held every 25 years.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
