Vatican City, 04 August, 2022 / 7:45 pm (ACI Africa).
The Vatican announced Thursday that Pope Francis has appointed a “personal health care assistant.”
Pope Francis has selected Massimiliano Strappetti, a Vatican nurse whom the pope has credited with saving his life, to provide additional assistance as the 85-year-old pope faces mobility problems.
“A nurse, a man with a lot of experience, saved my life,” Pope Francis told Spanish COPE radio after his colon surgery last summer.
Strappetti advised Pope Francis to undergo tests after he had his first flare-up of diverticulitis in February 2021, according to La Repubblica. He, along with the pope’s other medical staff, recommended that the pope have an operation to keep the problem from becoming worse.
The Vatican nurse was also part of Pope Francis’ medical team during his trip to Canada, accompanying the 85-year-old pope during some of his public appearances in a wheelchair.