VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis’ continues to battle bronchitis with his ability to speak publicly being severely impacted. 

 The pontiff has had difficulty speaking recently due to his condition and on Wednesday morning he had to stop reading during an audience in the vast Paul VI auditorium. 

 The pope began to read the catechesis in front of pilgrims but then immediately stopped and had to hand over the text to be read by one of his colleagues.

 "And now I must allow myself to ask the priest, the reader, to continue to read because I cannot yet with my bronchitis and I hope that next time I can," Francis told the pilgrims present. 

 The same difficulty breathing had forced the Pope to stop on Sunday during the Jubilee address to the Armed Forces in St. Peter's Square.

 The illness has been particularly limiting for Francis these past weeks.

 Last Wednesday too, he had to cancel a reading of the catechesis for the general public due to a ‘strong cold’.

  In addition, in the past few days, Francis has held many some audiences at his own home, Casa Santa Marta, to limit excessive movement. 

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