Pope Francis is missing his third day of public events in a row after coming down with an apparent cold.
The Vatican said the 83-year-old pope has a “slight indisposition” but has not offered any details about the illness. The head of the Catholic Church continued to attend Mass each day, but he has worked from home and canceled visits with official audiences through Saturday.
The three days of missed public events has led to the longest absence over the seven years of his papacy. Francis’s last public appearance was during an Ash Wednesday service, where he was seen blowing his nose and coughing.
Italy has 888 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, along with 21 deaths. The country has the second-most cases after China, where the virus originated.
