POPE Francis has had three hospitalizations since he was elected pope on March 13, 2013, and underwent major surgery as a young man to have part of one lung removed.

In between, the 86-year-old pontiff has suffered from bouts of sciatica, or nerve pain, that have made walking and standing difficult. More recently, he strained his knee ligaments and had a small fracture in one knee that forced him to use a wheelchair and walker for more than a year.

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