Pope Francis, with a torn knee ligament, appeared on Thursday in public for the first time in a wheelchair in the Paul VI Hall of the Vatican.

The 85-year-old pontiff arrived pushed by an aide, the AFP found.

On Tuesday, in an interview with the Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera, said he was going undergo “an infiltration” of the knee to alleviate the pain he was experiencing and that was what prompted him to cancel some scheduled meetings.

“I have a torn ligament, I am going to be intervened with infiltrations and it will be seen. I have been like this for a long time, I can’t walk,” Francisco assured.

The pontiff of Argentina suffering from osteoarthritis of the right kneewhich affected the ligament, but should not have undergone surgery, according to Vatican sources.

Knee infiltration is a procedure that consists of direct injection into the joint of some drugs with anti-inflammatory effectsanalgesic or regenerative.

Francisco, who in March began his tenth year as pope, has apologized in recent weeks to believers who attended the audience for giving the “sitting” blessing, because of his right knee problems. na prevent you from standing for a long time.

At the beginning of April, during his apostolic journey to Malta, he did not get down the stairs of the plane for the first time and took the elevator.

On Wednesday, during the general crowd in Saint Peter’s Square, the pope was particularly tired and they needed to help him walk and get up.

According to some media, if the situation is not resolved, an operation is considered, although this will be the last resort.

But the pope’s mobility problems are a concern subsequent trips he had to face, such as to Lebanon in mid -June or from the beginning of July to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan or Canada at the end of that month.

Francisco also has chronic sciatica problems, which often cause severe pain, and he underwent a delicate colon operation in July 2021.

Source: AFP