Pope Francis, 85, is forced to postpone his trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan, scheduled for July 2-7, due to knee pain, the Vatican announced on Friday.

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"Accepting the request of his doctors, and in order not to compromise the results of the knee therapies still in progress, the Holy Father, to his great regret, is forced to postpone his trip (...) to a later date which remains to be defined”, announced in a press release the director of the press service of the Holy See, Matteo Bruni.