Healthcare assistant recalls Pope’s final day
April 23, 2025
» Continue to this story on Vatican News
CWN Editor's Note: Massimiliano Strappetti, the nurse who was appointed the Pope’s personal healthcare assistant in 2022, recalled the Pontiff’s final day.
Pope Francis wished to take a ride in St. Peter’s Square to greet the pilgrims who were present on Easter Sunday morning; however, he became hesitant and asked Strappetti, “Do you think I can manage it?” After the ride, the Pope told the nurse, “Thank you for bringing me back to the Square.”
Vatican News, the news agency of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, reported:
The Pope then rested on Sunday afternoon and had a quiet dinner. Around 5:30 AM, the first signs of the sudden illness appeared, prompting an immediate response from those keeping watch over him.The above note supplements, highlights, or corrects details in the original source (link above). About CWN news coverage.
Around an hour later, after making a gesture of farewell with his hand to Mr. Strappetti, lying in bed in his second-floor apartment at the Casa Santa Marta, the Pope fell into a coma. According to those who were with him in his final moments, he did not suffer. It all happened quickly.
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