Pope cancels his audiences due to slight illness days before a new trip

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis cancelled his audiences Monday because of a “slight flu-like state” just days before he is to embark on a trip to Belgium and Luxembourg, the Vatican said.

The move was described as a “precaution” in the statement from the Vatican.

Francis is due to visit Luxembourg on Thursday and then spend the rest of the week in Belgium, ending with a Mass in Brussels on Sunday.

Francis, 87, who has battled a series of health problems in recent years, has had a packed schedule of audiences since returning from a four-nation, 11-day journey through Asia on Sept. 13. It was the longest and farthest trip of his pontificate.

The statement from the Holy See press office described Francis as having a “flu-like state.” Through much of last winter, Francis battled acute bronchitis and recurring bouts of influenza, which forced him to cancel a quick trip to Dubai to participate in the U.N. climate conference.

In Belgium, Francis is due to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the country’s main Catholic universities, and minister to Belgians who have been rocked by years of unrelenting revelations of clergy sexual abuse and cover-up.

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