Pope Francis injured in fall at Vatican
Pope Francis has suffered his second fall in as many months and bruised his forearm, the Vatican said Thursday, adding that he was wearing a sling.
The 88-year-old, who has been in increasingly fragile health in recent years, fell at the Santa Marta residence where he lives in the Vatican but did not break any bones, the 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 arm was immobilised as a precautionary measure,” it said.
In December 2024, the Argentine sported a large bruise on his right jaw caused by a fall from his bed.
The pope, who took over as head of the Catholic Church in 2013, suffers recurring health issues, from pain in his knee and hip to various recent episodes of bronchitis, and has relied on a wheelchair since 2022.
But Francis remains very active, completing in September a four-nation trip, the longest of his papacy in terms of duration and distance.
In December 2024, PUNCH Online reports that the Pope escaped two attempts on his life during his historic trip to Iraq in March 2021, according to excerpts from his forthcoming autobiography, according to Italian media.
The pontiff’s Vatican security detail received an urgent warning from the British secret services, Francis wrote.
“A woman packed with explosives, a young suicide bomber, was heading towards Mosul to blow herself up during the papal visit,” he wrote in “Hope,” which goes on sale in over 80 countries in January.
“And a van had also set off at great speed with the same intention,” he added, according to excerpts from the book published by the Italian daily Corriere della Sera daily.
AFP
