Pope Francis has cancelled his trip to Africa next month due to ongoing knee problems, in what has become a persistent ailment for the 85-year-old pontiff.
Vatican spokesman,Matteo Bruni ,said the Pope’s decision was made “on the advice of his doctors and in order not to compromise the results of the therapy he is undergoing for his knee.”
The Pope had been scheduled to visit Congo and South Sudan from July 2 to 7.
The Vatican said the trip would be rescheduled for “a later date.”
The Pope had plans to visit victims of violence in the city of Goma in eastern Congo and also a refugee camp in the South Sudanese capital Juba during his trip.
Francis has been using a wheelchair for some time because of pain in his right knee.
In May, the Vatican announced that a trip to Lebanon,scheduled for June had been put on hold again because of the health problem.
The pope is still scheduled to visit Canada at the end of July. (dpa/NAN)
