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.
Pope Francis Urges World To Give ‘The Newsroom’ Another Chance https://t.co/eVvKCe9JBR pic.twitter.com/3KDzYtr8rO
— The Onion (@TheOnion) January 23, 2021
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.
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.
Pope Francis: “This past January 20th, a few meters from Saint Peter's Square, a homeless 46-year-old Nigerian man named Edwin was found dead due to the cold. Let us think of what this man felt, in the cold, ignored by everyone, abandoned, even by us.” https://t.co/dfL4kbxKMO pic.twitter.com/yFj0utPDkL
— Rich Raho (@RichRaho) January 24, 2021
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.
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.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
