Decreased by severe knee pain forcing him to move around in a wheelchair, Pope Francis consulted the head of the medical service of the Atlético Madrid football club, the latter announced on Spanish radio.
Jose Maria Villalon explained on COPE
radio
that he had been “
requested
” with other specialists “
by the Spanish Episcopal Conference and the Vatican Nunciature in Spain to visit the Pope and discuss with the Vatican medical team to see if we could help him
”.
Pope Francis 'friendly but stubborn'
“
It is an honor to have such a patient and above all a responsibility because he is a world personality
,” he said in an interview posted on his website on Tuesday by this radio which belongs to the conference. Spanish episcopal.
"
I am optimistic that the pope can be helped" to cope with "this osteoarthritis process
", said the doctor of "
Atléti
", while stressing that it could be complicated for the sovereign pontiff to regularly attend physiotherapy or rehabilitation sessions due to a "
complicated schedule
".
"
He's very friendly but also maybe a bit stubborn because he doesn't want to submit to surgeries
," he said, smiling.
The pope has indeed ruled out the possibility of surgery, confiding that he will have “ after-
effects
” of the anesthesia suffered in July 2021 during his colon operation.
Jorge Bergoglio's chronic knee pain has forced him to use a wheelchair since May and has led to the postponement of several recent trips in recent months.
His state of health is the subject of much speculation because, weakened by these pains, he left "
open
" the possibility of renouncing his ministry one day.
The Atlético doctor also said he was also able to talk about football with the pope, who is a big fan of football and has supported the Buenos Aires club San Lorenzo since childhood.
"
He has a lot of personality, he is doing very well, he is very lucid (...), very friendly (...) and then he loves football, we were also able to talk about it a little
", said Jose Maria Villalon.
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