Pope cancels audiences due to flu

VATICAN CITY -- Pope John Paul II has the flu, leading him to cancel scheduled audiences Monday, the Vatican said. It was the first time the pope skipped an audience because of illness since September 2003.\nThe frail 84-year-old pontiff came down with the illness Sunday, and doctors advised him to cut back on activities, papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said.\n"He has joined the more than a million Italians who have come down with the flu," Navarro-Valls said.\nVatican Radio described it as a mild case.\nThe Italian Health Ministry has recommended flu shots, particularly for the elderly, but it was not known if John Paul had one. Vatican officials refused to say, citing the pope's right to privacy.\nThe Vatican makes brief announcements when the pope takes ill but rarely provides details on the extent of the illness or any medicine he may be taking. He has Parkinson's disease and crippling knee and hip ailments.\nAmong activities scheduled for the day was the presentation of the Vatican's yearbook. Also on the schedule were meetings with several bishops and foreign officials.\nJohn Paul's voice was weak but he was otherwise in good form during a public appearance Sunday when he tried to release a dove out of his apartment window as a symbol of peace. He chuckled with children who watched in delight as the bird flew back into the room overlooking St. Peter's Square.\nThe pontiff was addressing thousands of young people from an Italian Catholic organization who marked January as a month to promote peace.