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

Associated Press

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has canceled his audiences because of a “slight flu-like state” just days before he is to embark on a trip to Belgium and Luxembourg. The move was described as a “precaution” in a statement Monday 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. The 87-year-old pope has had a packed schedule since returning from an 11-day journey through Asia on Sept. 13. It was the longest and farthest trip of his pontificate.