Pope Francis cancels meetings for ‘mild flu-like condition’

Pope Francis addresses the faithful during second vespers on the feast of Our Lady of the Snows at the Basilica of St. Mary Major on Aug. 5, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Sep 23, 2024 / 05:00 am (CNA).

Pope Francis canceled his meetings on Monday due to suffering from symptoms of a “mild flu-like condition,” the Holy See Press Office said.

“As a precautionary measure given the travel in the coming days, the papal audiences scheduled for today are canceled,” the one-line note said Sept. 23.

The 87-year-old pontiff is set to leave Thursday for four days of travel to the small European countries of Luxembourg and Belgium Sept. 26-29, just under two weeks after returning from an ambitious 12-day trip to four countries in Southeast Asia and Oceania — Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore.

Pope Francis was scheduled to meet Monday morning with the members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and with young participants in a Christmas contest sponsored by the Gravissimum Educationis–Culture for Education Pontifical Foundation.

Though he no longer met with the groups due to illness, the Vatican published the pope’s planned addresses as “speech delivered.”

In the written message to contest participants, Francis said he “would like to recall with you, young singers and musicians who are dedicated to promoting the values of Christmas, that the birth of Jesus was accompanied by a heavenly song, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!’”

“The Incarnation of Jesus Christ, who brings true peace to the world — and how much we need it today! — has inspired, over the centuries, countless artists of every language and culture, who have portrayed paths of fraternity in the world,” he said. 

“You are part of this great movement, with your originality, stories and voices,” he added, “and it is always God’s love, made man in Jesus Christ, that speaks to your hearts.”

In his speech to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Pope Francis praised “the academy’s desire to draw attention to marginalized and poor people in its various conferences, and to include indigenous peoples and their wisdom in its dialogues.”

He expressed his gratitude for the academy’s work to propose appropriate regulations in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which he noted can be beneficial, and also “have serious negative implications for the general population.”

“Furthermore, the risks of manipulative applications of Artificial Intelligence for shaping public opinion, influencing consumer choices and interfering with electoral processes need to be acknowledged and prevented,” the pope added.

“At a time when crises, wars and threats to world security seem to prevail, your own quiet contributions to the progress of knowledge in the service of our human family are all the more important for the cause of global peace and international cooperation,” he said.