Pope Francis cancelled his engagements this morning and postponed a visit to a Marian shrine outside Rome in the run up to his visit to the Holy Land.
Francis postponed his commitments this morning “due to a minor indisposition”, Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi said in a statement today. It was widely reported that he is suffering from a cold.
The trip to Divino Amore was planned for Sunday but Francis "decided to cut back on his engagements in view of his preparations for his trip to the Holy Land" Fr Lombardi said. His three-day trip to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Territories begins on 24 May.
The visit to the shrine has been postponed "probably until the end of the summer," he said.
The sanctuary, around eight miles south of Rome, was the site of a miracle in 1740. A pilgrim was attacked by angry dogs, adjacent to the gatehouse, and was reported to have been saved through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Francis, who normally keeps to a busy schedule, has previously cancelled engagements because of illness. Last November he was unable attend his morning audiences because of a cold.
The 77-year-old Pope lost most of one of his lungs due to an infection in his youth. As a young Jesuit, Jorge Mario Bergoglio had wanted to be a missionary but was counselled against it by his superior in Argentina because of the toll it would have taken on his frail health.
The Vatican typically restricts information about the health of popes, citing their privacy. The Holy See only confirmed that Pope John Paul II suffered from Parkinson's disease after he died.
Pope Benedict XVI enjoyed a mostly robust health during his seven-year pontificate, only missing a scheduled appearance after he broke his wrist in a fall in 2009.
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