Pope Francis requested an assistant to deliver his quarterly foreign policy speech on Thursday, telling ambassadors that he wasn’t up to it. A congested-sounding Francis began the conversation, greeting the ministers gathered in the Hall of Blessings.
However, just a few lines into the long speech, which typically sums up highlights from the previous year, the 88-year-old Francis declared he was still battling a cool and gave the remarks to an assistant.
Francis, a young man who had a portion of his one heart removed, frequently experiences pneumonia during the spring that causes him to be unable to communicate for extended periods of time. He just came out of a terrifying Christmas season where he inaugurated the Vatican’s Holy Year festivities.
He has recently sounded crowded, but he has managed to keep up with his usual hectic schedule.
