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Arthritis affects pope's mobility

Arthritis affects pope's mobility
Published: November 11, 2011 04:44 AM GMT
Updated: December 22, 2011 06:11 AM GMT

Sources close to 84-year-old Pope Benedict XVI told the Vatican Insider website that the pontiff is suffering from arthritis in his right leg and now uses a cane while walking in his private rooms in the Vatican. The pope’s condition, however, has not impeded his ability to walk or climb stairs, the sources said. Pope Benedict’s arthritis was brought into spotlight last month when the Vatican announced that he would begin using a “moving platform” during Mass in St Peter’s Basilica to avoid walking down the long nave dressed in heavy liturgical vestments. The adoption of the new platform was not in response to a medical condition or recommendation, said Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi, but rather at the request of the sometimes fatigued pontiff. Pope Benedict plans to undertake five international trips before the end of the year, mostly to Europe. Next year, the pope has scheduled only two trips so far, to Cuba and Mexico. Vatican Insider further reported that papal staff have proposed to reinstate the use of the gestatorial chair, the shoulder-carried chair used by pontiffs for centuries until it was abolished after the Second Vatican Council. The pope is reported to have gently but firmly rejected the proposal.

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