Pope's right knee ligament inflamed, curbing mobility
Pope Francis is suffering from an inflamed ligament in his right knee that makes walking and going up and down stairs painful
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Pope Francis said Wednesday he is suffering from an inflamed ligament in his right knee that makes walking and going up and down stairs painful.
Francis told his weekly general audience that he had been informed that the inflammation usually only afflicts older people.
“I don’t know why it happened to me,” the 85-year-old pope quipped, drawing applause from the crowd.
Francis, who has long suffered from sciatica nerve pain that makes him walk with a pronounced limp, cited the new knee pain in explaining why he wouldn’t go down the steps of the Vatican audience hall to greet the pilgrims in the crowd. Instead, a handful of guests were brought up to the stage.
Francis had mentioned the leg pain last week in explaining that he would remain seated during a different audience. Over the years, he has apologized when he has missed liturgies or had to sit down during events that would otherwise require him to stand.
The Argentine Jesuit enjoys generally good health, though he had 33 centimeters (13 inches) of his large intestine removed last July. Francis also had a part of one lung removed when he was a young man after a respiratory infection.