Pope Francis has canceled his upcoming trip to Israel scheduled for June, Israel Hayom has learned.
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While the visit had not been officially announced by the Vatican, the 85-year-old pontiff had reportedly planned to arrive in Israel on June 15 after flying to Lebanon and Jordan.
The pope would have headed to Jerusalem for a meeting with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church before returning to Rome. Last month, Pope Francis shot down any speculation he would be meeting with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, who has backed Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
The pope's office informed officials from the three Middle Eastern countries the trip would be delayed to the pontiff's knee problems. Pope Francis suffers from knee pain and was seen in a wheelchair for the first time in public on Thursday.
However, a diplomatic source told Israel Hayom the current wave of terrorist attacks in Israel had influenced the decision to nix the Jerusalem visit.
Israel is enduring a terror wave that included an attack Thursday night in the central city of Elad that claimed the lives of three people and wounded four others.
Since mid-March, 18 Israelis have been killed in attacks perpetrated by Palestinians and Arab citizens of Israel.
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