"Thank you for bringing me back to the square." These are some of the last words of Pope Francis, with a special thank you to the nurse Massimiliano Strappetti. He is the one who, in this last period of the Pontiff's life but also from a very early age, has watched over him tirelessly: as he once said, he saved his life by suggesting he undergo colon surgery. The Holy Father then appointed him his personal health assistant, in 2022.
Strappetti remained at Pope Francis's side for all 38 days of hospitalization at the Policlinico Gemelli and twenty-four hours a day during his convalescence at Casa Santa Marta . He was with the Pope on Easter Sunday, during the Urbi et Orbi. The day before they had gone to St. Peter's Basilica to review the "route" to take the next day when Francis would then appear from the Loggia delle Benedizioni.
After that moment, on Sunday morning, on the balcony at the heart of the facade of the Vatican Basilica, when the faithful had grown from an initial 35,000 to 50,000, the Pope wanted to make one last, significant surprise by going to St. Peter's Square for a ride in the Popemobile. Not without some initial fear: "Do you think I can do it?" he asked Strappetti, who reassured him . From there, he embraced the crowd and especially the children: the first ride after his discharge from Gemelli, the last of his life. Tired but happy, the Pope thanked his personal health assistant: "Thank you for bringing me back to the square." Words that reveal the need for the Argentine Pontiff - who has made direct human contact the hallmark of his pontificate - to return among the people.
Francis then rested in the afternoon and had a quiet dinner. Around 5:30 in the morning the first signs of illness appeared, with the prompt intervention of those who were watching over him. More than an hour later, after waving to Strappetti, lying on the bed of his apartment on the second floor of Casa Santa Marta, the Pontiff went into a coma . He did not suffer, it all happened quickly, says those who were next to him in those last moments.
A discreet, almost sudden death, without long waits and too much fuss for a Pope who has always kept his health conditions very secret. A death that occurred the day after Easter, the day after having blessed the city and the world, the day after having once again, after a long time, embraced the people . The funeral will be held on Saturday at 10 am in St. Peter's Basilica .
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