Coughing Pope Francis pulls out of spiritual retreat

The 83-year-old pontiff had last been seen coughing and blowing his nose during an Ash Wednesday mass earlier this week.

Pope Francis waves to the faithfuls from his studio window overlooking Saint Peter's Square
Image: Pope Francis waves to the faithfuls from his studio window overlooking Saint Peter's Square on Sunday
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A coughing Pope Francis will skip a week-long spiritual retreat with senior Vatican officials because of a cold.

The 83-year-old pontiff, who lost part of his lung to a respiratory illness as a young man, paused twice while addressing pilgrims on Sunday.

At the end, he asked for prayers for the Lenten retreat, adding "unfortunately a cold prevents me from participating this year... I will be following the meditation from here".

The Vatican described Francis' condition as "a slight illness" without giving further details.

It comes amid general alarm in Italy over the coronavirus outbreak, which has infected more than 1,100 people, mostly in northern Italy.

There have been just six cases reported in Lazio, where Rome is located.

The pope's weekly appearance from a window high above St Peter's Square was the first time he had been seen publicly since Ash Wednesday, when he was coughing and blowing his nose during mass.

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It is the first instance in the pope's seven-year papacy that he has missed the spiritual exercises that he initiated early in his pontificate to mark the start of each Lenten season.

The pope has cancelled several official engagements this week - including two planned official audiences - over the illness.

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However, the Vatican press office said he was continuing to work from his residence at the Vatican's Santa Marta hotel and was receiving people in private.

On Saturday, he had private meetings with the head of the Vatican's bishops' office, his ambassadors to Lebanon and France and a Ukrainian archbishop.

He was due to leave on Sunday for the retreat in the Roman countryside.

Such retreats for members of the Society of Jesus - a religious order to which he belongs - are typical.