Pope Francis joked with a group of seminarians that a shot of tequila would help soothe the knee pain that has been troubling him for months.
Francis was riding in the popemobile in St Peter’s Square when he stopped near a group from the Legion of Christ. The seminarians asked the pope how his knee was doing.
“It’s being naughty,” the Argentine pope replied in Spanish.
The 85-year-old pope has been suffering from strained ligaments in his right knee for several months. As a result, he has been using a wheelchair and a cane to get around. Doctors advised doing so would help the knee heal.
The group told Francis that they admired his ability to smile despite the pain. The men then said he was an example for future priests like themselves.
Seeing that they were Mexican because of the flag they were carrying, the pope said: “Do you know what I need for my leg? A bit of tequila.”
After much laughter, one of them shouted back: “If one day we go to Santa Marta, we’ll bring you a bottle,” referring to the guest house where Francis lives in the Vatican.
Francis’s mobility limits have spurred media speculation about his health and a future conclave. But a close collaborator recently said the pope is “better than ever” and is undergoing two hours of physiotherapy a day.
“He’s in very good health and the same lucid reflection as always,” La Plata, Argentina Bishop Victor Manuel Fernandez tweeted May 14 after seeing the pope.
“(There’s) a problem in one of his knees. But every day he has more than two hours of rehabilitation, which is producing results. For everything else, he’s better than ever.”
Francis recently pulled out of a planned two-day trip to Lebanon next month, citing the knee problem. Still, the Vatican has confirmed he will travel to Congo and South Sudan and Canada in July.