Vatican confirms plans for Belgium, Luxembourg trip after pope cancels audiences due to illness

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican confirmed that plans remain in place for Pope Francis to go to Belgium and Luxembourg later this week, despite having canceled all his audiences Monday because of a “slight flu-like state.”

Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said the cancellation only concerned Monday's audiences. He spoke to reporters before the official start of his Vatican briefing to illustrate details of the trip.

Earlier in the morning, the Vatican announced that Francis had canceled his audiences Monday as a “precaution.”

Francis is due to visit Luxembourg on Thursday and then spend the rest of the week in Belgium, ending with a Mass in Brussels on Sunday.