Pope Francis spotted using wheelchair

Pope Francis used a wheelchair in public on Thursday for the first time since a flare-up of pain in his knee that has limited his ability to walk.

At an audience with a group of nuns in the Vatican’s general audience hall, Francis was wheeled to his seat on the stage. An aide then helped him out of the wheelchair and onto his seat.

The 85-year-old pope has had to cancel or curtail activities several times over the past month because of the pain in his right knee.

Before Thursday, he had managed to walk the 10 metres (yards) or so from the side entrance of the stage to his seat at the centre, albeit with help from aides.

A Vatican source said the pope was not expected to make any changes to his schedule over the next few weeks – though the wheelchair would likely become a familiar sight as Francis tried to stay off his feet as much as possible to help his knee heal.

He is due to visit Lebanon in June, then South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Canada in July.

Source: Reuters