Pope Francis was seen with a bruise on his chin during the service, sparking concern for his health – but the Vatican says it was the result of a minor fall.
On Saturday, Dec. 7, the pope, 87, arrived at St. Peter’s Basilica for a ceremony to install 21 new cardinals, and those present noticed a large, purple bruise on the right side of his chin and neck. According to Reuters, the Vatican press office said he suffered the injury after hitting his chin on a bedside table on Friday morning.
Reuters reported that he appeared to be otherwise in good health on Saturday as he formally appointed 21 new men from 17 countries – including Peru, Argentina, Japan, the Philippines, Algeria, India and Serbia – to the college of cardinals. They will eventually choose his successor.
Pope Francis photographed in Rome’s Piazza di Spagna on December 8, 2024.
Antonio Masiello/Getty
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Francis, who became pope in 2013, has had several health problems in recent years. In June 2023, he underwent bowel surgery for an abdominal hernia, as he had “recurrent, painful and worsening” symptoms.
“At the end of the general audience, the Holy Father went to the A. Gemelli University Hospital where in the early afternoon he will undergo laparotomy surgery and plastic surgery of the abdominal wall with prostheses under general anesthesia,” the Vatican announced. in a statement to PEOPLE at the time.
Last April, the pope was hospitalized with bronchitis, and the Associated Press reported at the time that he joked that he was “still alive, you know,” as he left the hospital, giving reporters a thumbs up.
Francis also uses a wheelchair and other means of mobility due to back and knee problems.
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The Pope recently made headlines when he announced that he would publish an autobiography under the title Hope, in January 2025, marking the first time a sitting pope has published a memoir.
It took Francis six years to write the book with co-writer Carlo Musso, and it will be published in time for the 2025 Jubilee of Hope, a year-long religious event in the Catholic Church celebrated every 25 years that encourages followers to repent of their sins, forgive others and more .
The upcoming memoir — which follows his March 2024 book Life: My story through history — was originally supposed to be published after Francis’ death, but the Pope decided to publish it in 2025 in celebration of the Jubilee Year.
“The book of my life is the story of a journey of hope, a journey that I cannot separate from the journey of my family, my people, all God’s people,” Francis said in a statement. “On every page, in every paragraph, it is also a book of those who traveled with me, those who came before, those who will follow us.”
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Hope will be published on January 14, 2025.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education