Pope Francis had a cold Nov. 15,
and since his only morning meetings were with Vatican officials, the
pope took the morning off, said the Vatican spokesman.
"The pope has a slight cold," said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi,
explaining that while the press office had published a bulletin saying
the pope had held four morning audiences, "the meetings did not take
place."
Because the morning meetings were with cardinals and bishops who live in
Rome, they would be easy to reschedule and the pope was able to rest,
the spokesman said.
However, the pope planned to preside at an evening
Mass in St. Peter's Basilica and ordain to the episcopacy Legionaries of
Christ Father Fernando Vergez, the new secretary-general of the office
governing Vatican City.
"There is no reason for concern," Father Lombardi said, the 76-year-old pope just simply has a cold.