Pope's July visit to Africa to go ahead despite health issues

Pope Francis waves to members of the apostolic movement of the Roman Catholic Church "Cursillos in Christianity" at the Vatican, May 28, 2022. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Francis is set to make a gruelling trip to two African countries in July despite knee problems that have forced him to use a cane and wheelchair in recent weeks.

The Vatican issued a full programme on Saturday for the July 2-7 trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. There had been speculation the pope's visit to Africa might be postponed, as was a trip to Lebanon scheduled for June.