Pope Francis, 85, canceled his trip to Florence (central Italy) on Sunday due to acute knee pain, the Vatican press office said on Friday.
Due to acute knee pain for which the doctor has prescribed a period of increased rest for the leg, Pope Francis will not be able to travel to Florence on Sunday, February 27, nor preside over the Ash Wednesday celebrations, March 2. “, explains the note.
Francis was scheduled to travel to Florence on Sunday to participate during the day in a meeting with bishops and mayors of the countries on the Mediterranean basin with the aim of defending peace and coexistence between these countries at a particularly difficult time for Europe due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Representatives from twenty countries, from three continents, inaugurated the three-day event on Wednesday, organized by the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), under the slogan “Mediterranean, border of peace.”
The Argentine pontiff, who underwent colon surgery in 2021 and had part of a lung removed during his youth, suffers from chronic sciatica that forces him to limp conspicuously.
This is not the first time that he has had to cancel official ceremonies due to his health ailments and severe pain.
According to the Savia digital health page, knee pain is the general term used to refer to pain in the knees due to traumatic or non-traumatic causes.
