Ailing Pope’s health forces him to miss Mass and suspend other events as the 84-year-old suffers ‘persistent pain’ blamed on sciatica
- The Vatican last week announced Pope Francis would miss three engagements
- He has sciatica, a nerve inflammation that affects the lower back and legs
- The same condition saw Francis skip two appearances for New Year’s Day Mass
Bouts of ‘persistent pain’ caused by sciatica forced Pope Francis to miss Sunday Mass and to suspend his other engagements.
The Vatican said on Saturday that 84-year-old Francis is making limited appearances due to sciatica, a nerve inflammation that affects the lower back and legs.
On Sunday, the pontiff delivered the Angelus prayer from the Apostolic Palace library rather than from his studio window overlooking St Paul’s Square, where he usually blesses crowds of the faithful. He also skipped a scheduled Mass and evening prayer at St Paul’s Basilica.
During the blessing, the pope delivered remarks about the Gospel and prayed for the plight of homeless people.
His annual start-of-the-year speech with the Holy See’s diplomatic corps, set for Monday, was also postponed. After the ceremony, Francis would have been driven to a Rome basilica to pray with other Christian leaders, but the event went ahead without him.
Pope Francis delivers the Angelus prayer from the Apostolic Palace’s library on Sunday. According to the Vatican’s press office, the pope is limiting his engagements due to bouts of ‘persistent pain’ caused by sciatica
It is the second time in recent weeks that Francis has been hobbled by what the Vatican has said is sciatica pain, forcing him to skip events.
The same condition saw him miss two appearances for New Year’s Day Mass in St Peter’s Basilica.
The crippling condition is not the first to ail the pontiff in recent years.
In March, as the coronavirus pandemic gripped Italy, concerns were raised when the Vatican announce Pope Francis was suffering from a ‘light cold’.
The Pope later tested negative for the virus, but his ailing health led to the cancellation of several public engagements. Francis restricted himself to appointments within the Domus Santa Marta Hotel, where has lived since his 2013 election.
He also missed an annual Lenten retreat in Ariccia, a town based around an hour’s drive southeast of Rome, choosing instead to follow the procession at a distance.
Faithfuls keep their distance in St Peter’s Square as Pope Francis delivered a live-streamed weekly Angelus prayer from the palace’s library on 17 January. Sciatica caused the pope to miss two appearances at New Year’s Day Mass at the start of this year
Shortly before Christmas, two Cardinal’s within the pope’s circle tested positive for the virus, raising worries the pope may have been infected.
Francis has been filmed and photographed without a face mask, speaking closely with his Cardinal’s and advisors, at several public events, leading to concerns he could easily have contracted the disease.
During a visit to a Rome prison in 2018, the pontiff urged inmates to never allow their hopes be clouded like cataracts, revealing that he suffers from the degenerative eye condition.
At the age of 21, a life-threatening bout of pneumonia resulted in the removal of a part of his right lung. His recovery was a factor leading him to decide to join the Jesuits in 1958.