Vatican City: Pope Francis' health condition was described as "good and stable" by the Vatican on Monday, although he remains on intravenous antibiotics to combat lung inflammation. The pontiff, approaching his 87th birthday on December 17, disclosed his inflammation issue on Sunday but affirmed his intent to travel to Dubai later in the week to address the climate change conference.

Consequently, Pope Francis refrained from his customary Sunday appearance overlooking St. Peter's Square, following the Vatican's acknowledgment of his mild flu. Instead, he delivered the traditional noon blessing via a live televised appearance from the chapel in the Vatican hotel where he resides.

Addressing the audience, Francis expressed, "Brothers and sisters, happy Sunday. Today I cannot appear at the window because I have this problem of inflammation of the lungs." He delegated the reading of his reflections for the day to a priest seated beside him.

During his remarks, the Pope reiterated his commitment to attend the COP28 gathering on climate change in the United Arab Emirates, affirming his intention to deliver his scheduled speech on Saturday to the attendees.

"Beyond conflicts, our world faces another significant threat in the form of climate change, endangering life on Earth, particularly for future generations," conveyed the pontiff's message read by the priest.

Expressing gratitude, Pope Francis thanked all who would support him with prayers during his voyage and urged them to actively engage in safeguarding the planet, referring to it as "the common house."

The apparent discrepancy arose from the Pope's statement regarding his lung inflammation, which contrasted with the Vatican's prior announcement that Francis underwent a CT scan at a Rome hospital to rule out pulmonary complications. The Vatican affirmed the examination yielded negative results, yet the reasons for this discrepancy were not immediately clarified.

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