Pope Francis told a delegation of Catholic educators that he would not read a prepared address on January 19 because “I am a bit short of breath.”
“As you can see, this cold is not going away,” the Pope told the group. A week earlier he had told a private audience of French Catholics, “I have a bit of bronchitis and I can’t speak well.”
Pope Francis has suffered several recent bouts with illness in the past year. In March 2023 he was hospitalized briefly with what Vatican officials described as bronchitis, but the Pope himself later said was “acute pneumonia.” In late November another attack of “very acute, infectious bronchitis” prompted him to cancel plans for a trip to Dubai, and in the following days he frequently asked an aide to read his formal remarks.
Nevertheless the Pontiff has maintained a very active schedule. The audience at which he chose not to read a prepared text—instead distributing a printed copy—was one of eight private audiences on his official calendar for January 19.