Pope Recovering Well from Wrist Injury

(18 Jul 09 - RV) Messages from well wishers around the world praying for a speedy recovery have been arriving for Pope Benedict who fractured his wrist following a fall Thursday night, while on vacation in Les Combes Northern Italy.

Vatican Press Office Director, Fr Federico Lombardi says that the Pope is "learning" to live with his wrist "plaster" and the disadvantages that this entails.

He says the most painful aspect of the incident for Pope Benedict is having to give up writing by hand, which he had intended to do frequently in these days.

Fr Lombardi also confirmed that Pope Benedict will travel to Romano Canavese Sunday for the recitation of the Angelus.


Susy Hodges has this week’s roundup of the events here at the Vatican:


“Pope Benedict’s holiday in the Italian Alps took an unexpected turn at the end of this week after he fell and fractured his right wrist and underwent an operation to reset the bones. Despite the accident,

Pope Benedict began Friday by celebrating mass as usual  and having breakfast,  before being taken  to hospital in the city of Aosta in northwest Italy.   Here, he underwent an operation performed with a local anaesthetic after an x-ray revealed a slight fracture of his right wrist.   Medical staff at the hospital said the operation went well.     Later in the day, the Pope was discharged and returned to the Alpine village of Les Combes.  

With the exception of this accident,  it has been an unusually quiet and peaceful week for  Pope Benedict who has taken a break from his habitual busy schedule at the Vatican  to spend just over two weeks on vacation in the Italian Alps.  He is staying in a chalet with a breath-taking view of Mont Blanc,  the same chalet as the one where his predecessor, Pope John Paul often spent his summer vacations.

Earlier on Thursday the Vatican released details of a series of postings and appointments approved by Pope Benedict prior to his departure for the Alps. 

The Pope named Archbishop Carlos Maria Vignano  as the new secretary General of the office governing Vatican City state.  He will succeed in that post Bishop Renato Boccardo who was named Archbishop of Spoleto-Norcia in Italy.  The pope appointed Monsignor Gabriele Caccia as Apostolic Nuncio in Lebanon  and also raised him to the rank of Archbishop.  He will succeed  Monsignor Luigi Gatti  who was transferred to Greece.  The Holy Father also appointed an American priest, Mons. Peter Wells,  as assessor for general affairs at the Secretariat of State.

In other news from the Vatican,   it’s been announced that for the first time ever, the Vatican Museums will remain open to the public  from 7pm to 11pm on July 24^th.    Visitors will be able to enjoy the sight of the sunset over St. Peter’s basilica and the Vatican Gardens and visit the Sistine Chapel in the peace of the twilight.    Museum officials say it is  obligatory for book online in advance for this special visit.  The cost of this booking is 4 euros plus the normal entrance fee of 14 euros”.