Pope Francis uses wheelchair in public for first time because of knee pain

ALESSIA GIULIANI/Keystone Press Agency/Globallookpress.com

Before Thursday he had managed to walk the 10 metres (yards) but with help.

Pope Francis got a flare-up of pain in his knee that has limited his ability to walk. That’s why on Thursday he used a wheelchair in public for the first time.

The pontiff was wheeled to his set on the stage in the Vatican's general audience hall. Then an aide helped him to change wheelchair to his ordinary seat.

The 85-year-old pope has had to cancel or curtail activities several times over the past month because of the pain in his right knee, Reuters reports.