Pope Francis has injured his right arm in a fall at his Santa Marta home but has not suffered any fractures, the Vatican has said.
It comes just weeks after the 88-year-old struck his chin on his nightstand in an apparent fall which resulted in a bad bruise.
The Holy See press office said in a statement: ‘This morning, due to a fall at the Santa Marta house, Pope Francis suffered a contusion on his right forearm, without fractures.’
The statement added his arm had been ‘immobilised as a precautionary measure.’
The pontiff, who has led the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church since 2013, has been in increasingly fragile health in recent years.
Celebrating his 88th birthday in December, he has suffered from influenza and related problems several times in the past two years — and he often uses a cane or a wheelchair to move due to knee and back pain. The Pope also had surgery in 2021 to address a painful condition called diverticulitis, and again in 2023 to repair a hernia.
Despite his fragile health, Francis remains very active, completing in September a four-nation trip — the longest of his papacy in terms of in duration and distance.
In an autobiography that was published on Tuesday, Francis downplayed concerns about his health.
He also ruled out resigning, as his predecessor Benedict XVI did, amid concerns about his declining health and the physical and mental demands of the papacy.
‘I am well,’ Poe Francis said. ‘The Church is governed using the head and the heart, not the legs.’
He said it was ’embarrassing at first to have to use a wheelchair, but old age never arrives by itself, and it must be accepted for what it is.’
The Pope reiterated that he does physiotherapy twice a week, uses a walking stick and does as many steps as he can as he carries on.
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