Pope Francis has been suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee for months, which causes pain in his right knee and forces him to use a wheelchair even on official occasions such as Christmas mass. But he has no plans to have surgery
Pope Francis entered St. Peter’s Basilica in a wheelchair for the Nativity Mass.
It’s not the first time the pope has needed assistance to move due to gonarthrosis in his right knee, which he’s been suffering from for months. It had already happened on May 5, when Francis, accompanied and seated in a wheelchair, presented himself to the audience in the Vatican. But also at the end of July for the trip to Canada before boarding the plane.
However, Francesco does not think about an operation: he has already repeated it several times in conversations with journalists. “I’m fine, the decision not to have surgery turned out to be the right one,” he had told ABC in recent weeks, and in any case “you rule with your head, not your knee.”
He had already said something similar to the Italian bishops: As long as my head works, I will continue. He told Portal in July: “It never crossed my mind. Not at the moment”. Nor will it define the legal status of the pope emeritus. “No, I feel like the Holy Spirit has no interest in me dealing with this.”
His state of health has also been discussed in recent days, when the pope revealed to the Spanish newspaper ABC that he had signed a letter of resignation in case of a “medical disability” since the beginning of his pontificate.
He had made it known by answering a precise question: what happens when a pope is suddenly prevented by health problems or an accident? And Francesco: “I have already signed my waiver. It was when Bertone was Secretary of State. I signed the waiver and told him, “In case of medical disability or whatever, here’s my waiver. You have it”. I gave it to him as Secretary of State, he must certainly have given it to Cardinal Parolin».
December 25, 2022 (change December 25, 2022 | 16:19)
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