Pope catches flu, cancels all appointments

Pope Francis has cancelled all appointments for Monday due to an illness, with the Vatican explaining that the 87-year-old pontiff is suffering from a mild flu.

He will also use the time to rest before an upcoming foreign trip, which will take him to Luxembourg on Thursday and then on to Belgium.

Pope Francis has had to cancel appointments multiple times in recent months due to his health.

However, The pope successfully completed his 12-day trip to Asia and the Pacific in the first half of September.

Due to knee pain and a hip ailment, the Argentinian-born pope usually sits in a wheelchair during public appearances.

Pope Francis will turn 88 in December.

He is the oldest pope in more than a century.