On Sunday, Pope Francis apologized to the residents of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan for having to cancel his visit to these two countries due to knee problems. – I ask you to forgive me for this. Let us pray together, with God’s help and thanks to treatment, I may come to you as soon as possible – he said.

The trip is planned for July 2-7 Pope Francis To the Democratic Republic of the Congo i Sudan On Friday, it announced the postponement of the south to a later date Vatican. He explained that the Pope made this decision on the advice of doctors.

The director of the Vatican’s press office, Matteo Bruni, told reporters: “After agreeing to the doctors’ request not to undermine the results of the ongoing knee treatment, the Holy Father must, with regret, postpone the apostolic trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the South and Sudan scheduled for 2-7. July to a new date to be determined.”

On Sunday, the Pope himself commented on postponing his visit to Africa. – I am very sorry that I had to postpone this trip, which I still want to take – he said in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. – I ask you to forgive me for this. Let us pray together, with God’s help and thanks to treatment, that I come to you as soon as possible. We are full of hope, he said, addressing the residents and authorities of the two countries directly.

Pope Francis PAP / EPA / CLAUDIO PERI

Pope’s health problems

Pope has been in a wheelchair for a long time due to serious problems in his knee. On Sunday, Francis described his condition, which may have been a torn ligament, as “a problem with his leg.” Francesc also suffers from sciatica, which made him limp even before ailments related to his knee.

See also: Pope Francis joked that “a little bit of tequila” might help with his knee problems.

Reuters quoted sources in the Vatican as saying that the pope receives several injections per week and is also undergoing physical therapy. According to sources, Francis was hoping to regain at least some walking ability before starting the journey.

The agency added that the Pope did not approve the operation due to problems with general anesthesia after that Surgery to remove part of the intestine a year ago.

The Pope’s plans also include a visit CanadaWhich is expected to happen at the end of July.

Main image source: PAP / EPA / CLAUDIO PERI