HOLY ROLLER

Ailing Pope Francis Appears in Wheelchair in Public For First Time

It is the first time the 85-year-old pontiff has been seen in public in a wheelchair after telling a reporter he badly hurt his knee.

Pope Francis was photographed in a wheelchair being rolled into an audience with a group of nuns on Thursday, marking the first time the increasingly ailing pontiff has been seen in public unable to walk on his own accord. Francis told an Italian newspaper earlier in the week that he had torn a ligament in his knee and he has cancelled many events because of the pain. The 85-year-old Argentine leader of the Catholic Church has suffered a number of health scares in recent years, including colon surgery and troubling back pain that has left him unable to attend his flock on a number of occasions. He currently has trips to Lebanon, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Canada scheduled for the summer months.