On Monday morning, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis has postponed a series of meetings due to lung inflammation and breathing difficulties.

Matteo Bruni, the director of the Vatican press office, stated in an email that a CT scan ruled out pneumonia, and doctors inserted a cannula to administer antibiotics.

It was noted that the pope had lost part of a lung around 50 years ago following an illness.

As the first pope from the Americas, Francis, who turns 87 next month, has faced health challenges for years, leading to the cancellation of numerous engagements and his occasional appearance in public in a wheelchair, NBC News reported.

However, Bruni emphasized in the statement, “The Pope’s condition is good and stable; he has no fever, and his respiratory situation is clearly improving.”

The Vatican had previously mentioned on Saturday that the cancellation of the pope’s audience was due to a “mild flu.”

Written by B.C. Begley