Pope Francis fell in Santa Marta, the Vatican guesthouse where he lives, this morning, Jan. 16, and bruised his right forearm, but there were no fractures, the Vatican said.
The fall resulted “in a contusion to the right forearm, without any fracture,” but “the arm has been immobilized as a precautionary measure,” the Vatican stated in a note to accredited journalists just before 1 p.m. today.
Contusion is the medical term for a bruise, that is the result of a direct blow or an impact, such as a fall, and is usually evidenced by a black-and-blue spot.
A photo courtesy of Vatican Media shows Francis with his right arm in a sling when he met an interreligious delegation from Albania.
The incident did not prevent him from holding all of the audiences that were scheduled for this morning, including one with the Argentine priest, Fernando Laguna, rector of the Argentine Priestly College of Rome, who was accompanied by other priests from his homeland.
Father Laguna told La Nación, the Argentine daily, “He is well, in good humor, and has a kind of a large handkerchief holding his arm that has been immobilized.” He added that “He [Francis] told us that he fell this morning at 4.30 a.m., but that he is well, they [the medical staff] had carried out examinations and fortunately there is no fracture.” It should be noted that the pope gets up every morning around this time.
This is the second time that Francis, now 88, has fallen in Santa Marta. He has mobility problems and uses a walker or wheelchair to move around. He fell in his bedroom early on Dec. 7, 2024, and hit the bedside table, causing a noticeable bruise to his jaw, but with no other evident side effects. The bruise has healed fully.
On Jan. 9, as often happens in the cold weather in Rome, Francis suffered from a slight cold that caused him to ask a Vatican official to read his lengthy address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See. Afterward, however, he spent almost 90 minutes meeting the ambassadors and their spouses.
