As Pope Francis suffers from knee pain, he said on Saturday that he continues to have problems with his leg, for which his doctor has ordered him not to walk.
“There is a problem: this leg is not good, it does not work, and the doctor has told me not to walk. I like to go… but this time I have to obey the doctor,” he said in a meeting with a Catholic pilgrimage group from Slovakia on 30 April.
The Pope said he would not be able to walk to greet the Slovakian pilgrims, he said at the end of his speech in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall.
“For this I will ask you for the sacrifice of going up the stairs and I will greet you from here, sitting,” he stated. “It is a humiliation, but I offer it for your country.”
Pope Francis has been suffering from an inflamed ligament in his right knee, causing pain when he walks. During the last several weeks, he has canceled meetings and opted to spend more time seated during public audiences or Masses.
During Saturday’s gathering, the Pope walked unassisted, but with a visible limp, to his seat on the stage. He also stood while giving the final blessing. He otherwise remained seated.
In his remarks, Pope Francis spoke about his visit to Slovakia in September 2021, which he said he carries “in my heart.”
He addressed thousands of Catholics who came on pilgrimage to Rome from Slovakia in thanksgiving for the pope’s trip to their country.
“It has been a great pleasure for me to see how the Church in Slovakia lives the richness of the diversity of rites and traditions, as a bridge that unites the Christian West and East,” Pope Francis said.
“We thank the Lord because, despite the pandemic, I was able to visit your country; may He make the fruits of the apostolic journey mature.”
Francis also thanked the Slovakian people for welcoming him to their country, and for the hospitality, they are now showing to Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war.
“In recent months, many of your families, parishes and institutions have received under their roof the mothers and children of Ukrainian families forced to split up in order to save themselves, who had arrived with their poor luggage,” he said.
“Looking into their eyes,” the Pope added, “you are witnesses of how war does violence to family ties, deprives children of the presence of their father, of school, and leaves grandparents abandoned.”