Pope Francis has postponed a visit to Lebanon, initially scheduled for June, for health reasons, Lebanese Tourism Minister Walid Nassar announced on Monday (9).
“Lebanon has received a letter from the Vatican officially informing it of the decision to postpone the Pope’s planned visit to Lebanon,” Nassar said in a statement, citing “health reasons”.
The 85-year-old pontiff, who suffers from osteoarthritis that has affected a ligament in his right knee and also has a problem with his sciatic nerve, has had to cancel appointments several times in the past month due to pain at the site. Last week, he appeared in a wheelchair for the first time.
The trip, which would take place on June 12 and 13, had been announced by the Lebanese government and, although it was never made official by the Vatican, the pope has commented on plans related to it in recent interviews.
A plan for Francis to travel from Lebanon to Jerusalem on June 14 to meet with Cyril, the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, had already been canceled because of the Ukrainian War.
The trip to Lebanon will likely take place after the summer, a source told Reuters.
Francis is due to make two trips in July, one to South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo and one to Canada.
Since last Thursday, when he used a wheelchair in public for the first time, he has been getting around this way in private and public hearings.
