On a trip to Bahrain, Pope Francis did not offer his traditional salute to reporters on the plane this Thursday (3) due to knee pain.

On his international missions, the Pope is in the habit of standing up to speak to the reporters accompanying him on the flight. This time, however, he remained seated.

“I have a lot of pain today and I can’t walk, but I would love for you to do this tour,” said the Pope. Then, Francis greeted the journalists who came to his seat one by one.

“An interesting trip that will make us think and give us good news,” said the Catholic leader.

Jorge Bergoglio is the first pope in history to visit Bahrain and will stay in the country until 6 November. The focus of the trip will be a forum organized by the Bahraini government to promote dialogue and “people’s coexistence” between East and West.

The 85-year-old pope has been suffering from knee pain for months and even gets around using a wheelchair.