Pope cancels his audiences due to slight illness days before a new trip

Pope Francis cancelled his audiences Monday because of a “slight flu-like state” just days before he is to embark on a trip to Belgium and Luxembourg, the Vatican said.

The move was described as a “precaution” in a statement from the Vatican.

Francis is due to visit Luxembourg on Thursday and then spend the rest of the week in Belgium, ending with a Mass in Brussels on Sunday.

Francis, 87, who has battled a series of health problems in recent years, has had a packed schedule of audiences since returning from afour-nation, 11-day journeythrough Asia on Sept. 13. It was the longest and farthest trip of his pontificate.