Pope Francis has opted to modify his schedule for the second day in a row.
On Friday, the Director of the Holy See Press office, Matteo Bruni, released a statement announcing the Pope’s decision for today according to the Vatican News.
Although the pontiff did celebrate Mass and greeted participants at the end, he ultimately decided to postpone official audiences.
“The Holy Father celebrated Mass this morning and at the end, as usual, greeted the participants, but decided to postpone today’s official audiences,” Bruni said. “The meetings on the agenda at Casa Santa Marta continue regularly.”
On Thursday, the 78-year-old canceled his plans to attend Mass with Rome priests due to what was described as an apparent cold. During the Ash Wednesday Mass, he was reportedly seen coughing and blowing his nose.
The latest news follows a strip of reports about the coronavirus outbreak in Italy. So far, it has been reported that more than 650 people have been infected with the virus, and there have been 17 deaths due to it.