Pope cancels trip to Congo and South Sudan due to bad knee

By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has canceled a planned July trip to Africa on doctors’ orders because of a knee problem. The Vatican said the July 2-7 trip to Congo and South Sudan would be rescheduled “to a later date to be determined.” Francis has used a wheelchair for about a month due to strained ligaments in his right knee that have made walking and standing difficult. Questions have swirled for months about Francis’ ability to manage the taxing journey to the two African nations. Francis also has a July 24-30 visit to Canada planned to personally apologize to Indigenous peoples there for abuses at residential schools. The Vatican statement on Friday said nothing about that trip.