Pope to skip outdoor Sunday prayer after catching cold days ahead of Christmas Eve, Day Masses

The pope has contracted a cold and will skip his usual outdoor Sunday prayer, instead giving the blessing indoors just days ahead of his Christmas Eve and Day Masses, the Vatican said Saturday. 

Chilly weather and the pope’s busy schedule during Christmas week were cited as reasons for the 88-year-old giving the blessing from his residence at the chapel of the Vatican’s Santa Marta quarters.

The pope usually addresses the public from the window of St. Peter’s Basilica overlooking St. Peter’s Square on Sundays. 

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Pope Francis sounded congested on Saturday as he gave his annual Christmas greeting to Vatican bureaucrats. 

The octogenarian has suffered from bronchitis before, including last year when he was hospitalized, and he also missed a climate change meeting in Dubai last year because of the flu and lung inflammation. 

The pope has contracted a cold and will skip his usual outdoor Sunday prayer, instead giving the blessing indoors just days ahead of his Christmas Eve and Day Masses, the Vatican said Saturday.  (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

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The pope developed pleurisy in his 20s and was forced to have part of his lungs removed in his native Argentina. 

The pope usually addresses the public from a window of St. Peter’s Basilica overlooking St. Peter’s Square on Sundays.  (Riccardo De Luca/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Christmas Eve also marks the beginning of the Vatican’s Holy Year in which around 32 million pilgrims are expected to head to Rome throughout 2025. 

The pope will open the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica on Christmas Eve and On Dec. 26, he will go to Rome’s main prison to inaugurate the start of the Holy Year there. 

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The Holy Year, also known as the Jubilee, is usually held every 25 years. 

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.