Pope Francis coughed during his first public appearance since getting sick and said he was too ill to attend a spiritual retreat.
Francis made the announcement during his weekly Sunday blessing, saying he made the decision because of his illness.
Italy is grappling with a growing coronavirus outbreak, and there has been speculation that he might have the virus. The Vatican has pushed back on that notion.
“There is no evidence that would lead to diagnosing anything but a mild indisposition,” said Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni.
The pope has not been seen in public since Ash Wednesday. He said Sunday that he would not be able to attend an annual Lenten retreat with top Vatican officials that he has gone to every year since becoming pope seven years ago.
“Unfortunately, a cold will force me not take part this year. I will follow the meditations from here,” said Francis, who had to pause twice during his Sunday blessing to cough.
There have been more than 1,100 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, known as the COVID-19 virus, in Italy since the disease developed in China in December. The illness has caused the deaths of 29 people in Italy and almost 3,000 worldwide, mostly in mainland China.
As fears of a global pandemic grow, the United States saw its biggest stock market decline in years with the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeting and hitting its largest, single-day point drop. There are 71 cases of coronavirus in the U.S. Officials in Washington state announced the first death tied to the virus in the U.S. on Saturday.
The White House ramped up travel warnings Saturday, telling people to avoid travel to parts of Italy and South Korea. Meanwhile, President Trump has repeatedly told the public not to panic.
