Pope Francis announced on Sunday that a cold he is suffering from will force him to skip a week-long Lenten spiritual retreat with senior Vatican officials that had been due to start later in the day.

The pope made the surprise announcement to thousands of people at St. Peter’s Square during his first public appearance since last Wednesday, when he was seen coughing and sneezing.

“Unfortunately a cold will force me not to take part this year (in the retreat). I will follow the meditations from here,” he said. It is the first time that Francis has missed the annual retreat south of Rome since his election in March 2013.

He coughed several times while making his brief address and sounded like he had a stuffy nose.