Pope Francis turned 87 on Sunday December 17 and celebrated with around 200 families during the annual birthday party organized in the Vatican by the Santa Marta Pediatric Dispensary providing support to mothers and children in difficulty.
As the 266th successor of St. Peter to the papacy, Francis is the oldest bishop of Rome since Pope Leo XIII, the oldest pope in history, who served until his death in 1903 at the age of 93. Fewer than 10 popes have served at the age of 87. Francis’ predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, lived until the age of 95 but stepped down from the papacy less than two months before his 86th birthday.
Following the tradition since Francis’ first birthday as pope in 2013, the celebration involved singing and dancing by the children at the Dispensary and a short circus performance followed by a snack and cake before the Angelus prayer and blessing.
“I send you, in my own name and on behalf of all Italians, the most sincere and affectionate wishes for your well-being and the fruitful continuation of of Magisterium,” said President Sergio Mattarella in birthday greetings to the pope.
“In a world in which, unfortunately, new rivalries are added to never dormant conflicts, your incessant pastoral action continues to remind everyone of the need to build solutions that restore peace by placing the person – with his or her inalienable dignity – at the centre of the action of the international community,” he added.
Birthday wishes also arrived for Pope Francis from Premier Giorgia Meloni, the Senate and House Speakers Ignazio La Russa and Luciano Fontana, Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, the presidency of the Italian Bishops’ Conference and the Diocese of Rome.
The Pope has suffered from a number of medical issues in recent times. In July 2021, he had surgery to remove part of his colon because of diverticulitis. He spent 11 days in the hospital recovering from the operation .
In January 2022, he said he had a problem with his right knee. He had an inflamed ligament that made it hard for him to stand and walk. He had to cancel some events and use a lift or a wheelchair sometimes.
He also suffers from sciatica, which causes pain in the lower back and legs. He’s had it for years and sometimes it makes him miss important ceremonies.
Besides that, he also had one lung removed when he was young because of pneumonia, and he had cataract surgery in 2019.
However, at present he seems to be in fine condition for a man his age and continues to be active and attend to his many papal responsibilities. The billions of Catholics around the world wish him a happy birthday.
