"My knee hurts; it's an ailment from the past, which used to be called the 'nuns' ailment' because the nuns used to pray on their knees and get indisposed," Pope Francis explained after an audience in the Vatican with participants in the International Trinitarian Solidarity Conference on April 25, 2022. "It will heal," he assured those present, "but in the meantime, we must do things right.”
He offered these comments to explain why he planned to remain seated while greeting his guests.
The Pontiff has been suffering with his right knee for several months. The inflammation prevents him from standing for long and has increased his limp, which was already notable from his sciatica issues.
He has been forced to cancel participation in several events, including a trip to Florence at the end of February, due to pain caused by the "acute gonalgia" in his knee.
Earlier this week, on April 22, he canceled several appointments to carry out medical examinations – it was not announced whether these tests were related to his knee or something else.
On April 24, as at several Masses before, he opted not to preside over Divine Mercy Sunday Mass but did deliver the homily.
