VATICAN CITY (AP) – Pope Francis cancels public appearances again due to nervous pain.
Francis will not take part in three events over the next few days “due to the recurrence of sciatica,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement on Saturday.
The 84-year-old pope will continue with the blessing of the Angelus on Saturday, delivered from the Apostolic Library instead of a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square due to the resurgence of the virus. But he will not say Mass in the Vatican Basilica on Sunday or a prayer scheduled in the afternoon at St. Paul’s Basilica to close a week of prayer, and a meeting with the diplomatic corps at the Holy See set for Monday will be rescheduled. The Vatican said.
Nervous pain also forced the pope to skip the New Year’s ceremonies in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The outbreak of Francis’ sciatica raises questions about his planned trip from March 3 to 8 to Iraq, a visit that some have questioned due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Papal travels are exhausting in any circumstance, with many appointments every day, long masses and reception lines, and multiple car and plane transfers.
Francis has spoken openly about his sciatica in the past. It is a form of pain in the lower body caused by compression or irritation to the nerve roots or sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower spine to the thigh.