Pope Francis suffers a fall in his residence and his arm is immobilized: this is what is known

He papa Francisco88 years old, suffered a fall this Thursday in his residence, the house of Santa Marta, he suffered a bruise on his right forearm, without fractures, and was immobilized as a precautionary measure, the Vatican press office reported.

Despite the fall, Francis continued with his work schedule – which consisted of five audiences – without problems, although with his arm immobilized with a white bandage as seen in the photos distributed by the Vatican, such as the meeting he had with the college of Argentine priests in Rome.

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It is about the second fall of the pope in a short timesince on December 7, the pontiff, who has serious mobility problems, appeared with a large bruise at chin level.

At that time Francis suffered “a concussion when he hit the bedside table,” according to the director of the Holy See press office, Matteo Bruni.

Also on that occasion, the pontiff continued with his agenda and the celebration of the tenth consistory, in which he named 21 new cardinals and in which he appeared with the striking bruise on the right side of his face.

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Francisco suffers from severe back pain in his right knee that prevents him from walking, so he uses a wheelchair or sometimes uses a cane to help him.

Pope Francis’ health in recent months

The pope, who turned 88 in mid-December, has been in declining health in recent years – hip problems, knee pain, operations and respiratory infections – but this has not stopped him from maintaining a busy schedule.

The leader of the Catholic Church has been traveling in a wheelchair since 2022 due to persistent pain in his knee and must rely on a cane during his rare moments standing.

In recent months he has been forced on several occasions to delegate the reading of his speeches or even to cancel his participation in events for health reasons.

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In December 2023, Francis, who suffered a partial lung removal in his youth, canceled a visit to Dubai to participate in the UN climate COP28 due to bronchitis.

At the end of March, the Argentine Jesuit had to cancel his participation in the Via Crucis at the Colosseum in Rome at the last minute, although he presided over the Easter celebrations two days later.

In June 2023, Jorge Bergoglio was hospitalized for 10 days at the Gemelli hospital in Rome after an abdominal hernia operation under general anesthesia.

He was also hospitalized in March 2023 for three days for bronchitis and for a dozen days in July 2021 after colon surgery.

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Despite these repeated medical alerts, Francisco maintains a busy schedule, sometimes having up to a dozen appointments in the same morning.

He also continues to travel and in September took the longest trip of his pontificate, a 12-day tour of Southeast Asia and Oceania.