A state visit by Britain’s King Charles III to the Vatican has been postponed due to the health of Pope Francis, the palace press office said on Wednesday.
The state visit of the king and queen to the Holy See was postponed by mutual agreement, as medical advice suggests that Pope Francis would benefit from a long period of rest and recuperation, the palace said.
The report also specified that the monarch conveyed to Pope Francis wishes for his recovery.
Earlier, the Pope recorded a short audio message to the faithful, which was broadcast in St. Peter’s Square at the beginning of the prayer service, thanking them for their worries and prayers for his recovery. The pontiff did so three weeks after he was admitted to hospital with bilateral pneumonia.
Soon the Vatican informed about the improvement of the pontiff’s condition. According to the press office, doctors at Gemelli Hospital prudently kept the prognosis guarded.
The Vatican also published for the first time a photo of Pope Francis after his hospitalisation on February 14. It appeared on the Holy See’s website and was taken in the home chapel located in the room next door to his room at Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Hospital. The image captures the pope participating in the morning service.
