(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 11.06.2023).- On the morning of Monday, November 6th, Pope Francis received an audience in the Vatican with a Delegation from the Conference of European Rabbis. However, the rabbis were in for a surprise: the speech that the Pope had prepared for the occasion was not used. The Pope himself explained the reason, saying, «I greet all of you and welcome you. Thank you for this visit that I greatly appreciate. But it so happens that I am not feeling well, and that’s why I prefer not to read the speech but to give it to you so that you can take it with you. Let’s do everything we can to maintain this climate of fraternal dialogue that Cardinal Koch and his colleagues are constantly trying to promote.»
The audience then turned into a meeting in which the Pope greeted each of the guests.
The Pope’s words triggered speculations precisely on a day when his public agenda was packed (receiving credentials from two ambassadors, meeting with other delegations, and an audience with more than 8,000 children in the Paul VI Hall). However, by the afternoon of that same Monday, the Pope was seen with a smiling face and did not seek medical attention outside the Vatican, as was actually speculated.
