Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 12, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 26, 2026
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Pope Francis, 88, continues to suffer from bronchitis, affecting his ability to read at the Vatican's weekly audience, though he remains active in his duties.
By Joshua McElwee
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Wednesday he was still suffering from a bout of bronchitis and asked an aide to read prepared remarks for a weekly general audience at the Vatican for the second time in two weeks.
"Me, with my bronchitis, I cannot (read) still," the pope said. "I hope that next time I can."
Francis, 88, has been pope since 2013 and has suffered from influenza and other health problems several times over the past two years.
Last week, Francis told pilgrims at the weekly audience that he was suffering from a "strong cold," which the Vatican later described as bronchitis.
While Francis skipped reading the main part of his weekly message on Wednesday, he remained present for the hour-long audience and spoke briefly at several points during the meeting.
The pope has been keeping up his daily appointment schedule and taking meetings at the Vatican residence where he lives. On Tuesday, he also made a video appearance at Italy's popular Sanremo song festival.
Francis suffered two falls recently at his Vatican residence, bruising his chin in December and injuring his arm in January.
(Reporting by Joshua McElwee; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
The main topic is Pope Francis's ongoing battle with bronchitis and its impact on his duties.
Despite bronchitis, Pope Francis continues his daily appointments and recently appeared at the Sanremo festival.
Pope Francis has suffered from influenza, bronchitis, and minor injuries from falls.
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