ROME, Nov 25 — Pope Francis cancelled his morning audiences today because of mild flu, the Vatican said in a statement.

The 86-year-old pontiff holds regular meetings with Vatican officials on Saturdays as well as private audiences.

Earlier this month, the Pope skipped reading a prepared speech for a meeting with European rabbis as he was suffering from a cold, but he appeared to be in good health during a meeting with children just hours later.

In June, he had surgery on an abdominal hernia. He spent nine days in hospital and appears to have recovered fully from that operation.

The Pope’s next public appearance is scheduled for tomorrow, when he is expected to address crowds in his weekly Angelus message in St. Peter's Square.

Francis is also scheduled to attend the COP28 climate conference in Dubai from December 1-3, where he is expected to have nearly an entire day of bilateral meetings with world leaders attending the event. The conference runs from November 30 to December12. — Reuters