Pope Francis visited Cardinal Roger Etchegaray in hospital on Sunday night, after the cardinal fell while greeting the Pontiff at the end of Mass in St Peter’s Basilica earlier in the day.
According to Vatican Radio, Cardinal Etchegaray, 93, is being treated at the Gemelli Hospital, in Rome, for a fractured left femur.
He will reportedly need an operation to repair the fracture.
The cardinal previously broke his leg and hip on Christmas Eve in 2009 at St Peter’s Basilica, when a woman knocked him and Benedict XVI to the ground during midnight Mass.
During the visit, Pope Francis spoke to Cardinal Etchegaray for about 15 minutes and gave him his blessing.
Thousands gathered in St Peter’s Basilica for the Mass to conclude the synod on the family.
In his homily, Pope Francis warned against falling into a “scheduled faith” and “ignoring what the Lord places before our eyes.”
He also urged synod participants “follow the path that the Lord desires”.
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