Pope Francis on Wednesday said he was unable to read his remarks for a general audience due to bronchitis.

Asking an aid to read the text, the 88-year-old pontiff said “with my bronchitis I can’t” read.

“I hope next time I can”, he added, addressing worshippers at the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall.

On Tuesday evening, the pope made a video appearance on the opening night of Italy’s popular Sanremo song festival, hailing music as a “tool of peace”, and “a language that all populations speak to reach everybody’s hearts”.