The Vatican has announced that Pope Francis will not preside at Mass or at the annual Eucharistic procession on Corpus Christi this week, because of his severe knee problems.

The June 13 announcement follows an earlier announcement that plans for a papal visit to Africa in July have also been postponed indefinitely.

The feast of Corpus Christi will be observed in Rome on June 16. (In many dioceses, the feast is moved to Sunday, June 19.) Traditionally the Pope presides at a Mass for the feast day in the basilica of St. John Lateran, followed by a Eucharistic procession through the streets of Rome to the basilica of St. Mary Major.

The cancellation means that the Corpus Christi procession will not have taken place in Rome for three consecutive years. In 2020 and 2021 it was not held because of the Covid lockdown.