Pope Francis injures arm after falling at the Vatican

Christopher Lamb, CNN

(CNN) — Pope Francis has fallen over and injured his right arm but did not suffer any broken bones, the Vatican says.

In a statement, the Holy See press office said that due to a fall Thursday morning in the Casa Santa Marta, the pope’s residence, the 88-year-old pontiff “suffered a contusion to his right forearm, without fracture.”

The statement added that his arm has been “immobilized as a precautionary measure.”

Official pictures showed the pope wearing a cloth sling as he held meetings.

Despite the fall, Francis held five meetings on Thursday according to the Vatican, including with Alvaro Lario, the President of the International Fund of Agricultural Development, and priests from an Argentine college based in Rome.

On Wednesday, the pope led his general audience in the Vatican and seemed in good spirits, throwing a tennis ball to a dog during a circus performance.

The pope has suffered a number of health problems in recent years and this is the second fall he has had in a matter of weeks. In early December, he appeared with a large bruise on his chin after falling and hitting his bedside table during the night.

Since 2022, the pope has made use of a wheelchair due to mobility problems caused by pain in his knee. In his recently published autobiography “Hope”, Francis said that he is in good health and ruled out resigning from his position, but said that “the reality is, quite simply, that I am old.”

He said it was “embarrassing at first to have to use a wheelchair, but old age never arrives by itself, and it must be accepted for what it is.”

He added: “the Church is governed using the head and the heart, not the legs. I do physiotherapy twice a week, I use a walking stick, do as many steps as I can, and I carry on.”