Francisco, who celebrated 10 years of papacy in March, participated in the Wednesday morning general audience in Saint Peter’s Square, during which he appeared smiling as he greeted the faithful from his “popemobile”.
However, according to AFP photographers, he was moving with difficulty and appeared to be in severe pain.
What disease does Pope Francis have?
Francisco, who has been using a wheelchair since May 2022 due to arthritis in his right knee, spent 10 days at the Gemelli hospital in July 2021 for a delicate colon operation.
The Pope later explained that this operation left him “aftermath”, so he decided to rule out knee surgery, as advised by his doctors.
The world already knew of his various ailments due to the fact that he suffered from chronic sciatica that forced him to limp, for which reason he had to renounce official ceremonies on some occasions.
The Gemelli Hospital is the medical center where Pope John Paul II was also hospitalized on several occasions and even had a benign colon tumor removed in 1992.
Pope’s health today
The pope’s health, especially given Francis’ age and walking problems, often sparks all kinds of conjecture.
In the various interviews he has given in recent months, the Latin American pope has evoked the possibility of resigning, just as his predecessor, Benedict XVI, did in 2013. deceased at the end of 2022.