Pope Francis was injured during a fall in the Vatican residence for the second time in less than 6 weeks

Rome – Pope Francis fell on Thursday and injured his right arm, the Vatican said, just weeks after another apparent fall that left a severe bruise on his chin. A Vatican spokesman said in a statement that Francis did not break his arm, but a slingshot was put in place as a precaution.

On December 7, the Pope hit his chin on his nightstand in an apparent fall that left him with a severe bruise.

The 88-year-old Pope Fight health problems Including long Episodes of bronchitisHe often has to use a wheelchair due to his bad knees. He uses a walker or cane when moving around his apartment at the Santa Marta Hotel in Vatican City.

The Vatican said that Thursday’s fall also occurred in Santa Marta, and the Pope was later seen among the crowds with his right arm placed in a sling.

“This morning, due to a fall at the Santa Marta house, Pope Francis suffered a bruise on his right forearm, without a fracture. His arm was immobilized as a precaution,” the statement said.

Speculation about Francis’ health is a constant in Vatican circles, especially since Pope Benedict XVI He broke with 600 years of tradition and resigned from the papacy in 2013. Benedict’s aides attributed the decision to him collapsing during the night during a trip to Mexico in 2012, after which he decided he could not keep up with the world’s demands. Papacy.

However, Francis said he has no intention of resigning anytime soon, even if Benedict “opens the door” to that possibility. In his autobiography, Hope, released this week, Francis said he did not think about resigning even when he underwent major intestinal surgery.

Francis had part of one of his lungs removed when he was a young man in Argentina after suffering a severe bout of pneumonia.