Pope Francis injured his arm on Thursday after a fall at his residence. The Vatican spokesperson said, Pope Francis fell Thursday and hurt his arm, AP reported.
“This morning, due to a fall at the Santa Marta house, Pope Francis suffered a contusion on his right forearm, without fractures. The arm was immobilised as a precautionary measure,” the Vatican spokesman in a statement said. This comes almost a month after the 88-year-old pope whacked his chin on his nightstand following an apparent fall that resulted in a bad bruise on his chin. The pope uses a wheelchair amid his struggle with knee and health problems.
The pontiff previously suffered from long bouts of bronchitis. His health condition has been a concerning issue among the Vaticans. In the past two years, the pope suffered from influenza and related problems several times. He also underwent a major surgery in 2021 due to a painful condition called diverticulitis. In 2023, the pope was operated to repair a hernia.
The pope resides in an apartment located in the Santa Marta hotel and uses a walker or cane while moving. According to the Vatican, the pope was later seen in audiences with his right arm in a sling.
In 2013, Pope Benedict XVI resigned from the papacy and broke 600 years of tradition. According to Benedict's aides, the decision to step down from papacy was due the fact that Pope Benedict realised he couldn't keep up with the globe-trotting demands. This decision came after a nighttime fall that he suffered during a 2012 trip to Mexico.
However, Pope Francis has made it clear that he has no plans to resign anytime soon, even if Benedict “opened the door” to the possibility. Pope Francis in his autobiography “Hope” said that he hadn't considered resigning even when he had major intestinal surgery. This autobiography was released this week.
(With inputs from AP)
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