Pope Francis Not Feeling Well: Pope's nerve condition prevents him from standing during audience

It is commonly known that Pope Francis suffers from sciatica, but it appears his condition is becoming increasingly painful for the Holy Father.

Highlights

By Abigail James
1/29/2021 (4 years ago)

Published in Living Faith

Keywords: Pope Francis, Illness, Sciatica, Pope Sciatica, Pope Sick

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - During the January 29th audience for the opening of the Holy See's judicial year, Pope Francis remained sitting for the meeting's entirety. 

"I would like to speak to you standing up but sciatica is a troublesome guest," the pope told members of the Roman Rota. "So I apologize and will speak sitting down."

The 84-year-old pope's current bout of sciatica has interrupted several other engagements. He was forced to delegate both Sunday's and Monday's Mass and postpone his New Year's greeting. He also skipped New Year's masses at St. Peter's Basilica.

Sciatica is a chronic nerve condition that causes pain to radiate down one or both legs from the lower back. Pope Francis wears orthopedic shoes to ease some of the pain he feels in his hip.

Please join us in praying for Pope Francis. Let us pray for his health and a healing of his sciatica pain. 

Dear Jesus, Divine Physician and Healer of the sick, we turn to you in this time of illness. O dearest comforter of the troubled, alleviate Pope Francis' worry and sorrow with your gentle love, and grant him the grace and strength to accept this burden. Dear God, we place his worries in your hands. We place his sciatica under your care and humbly ask that you restore your servant to health again. Amen.