Pope Francis
After accident and first aid, Francis praises saint
wrapped up his Colombia trip with a final day honoring St. Peter Claver, a fellow Jesuit who ministered to hundreds of thousands of African slaves who arrived in the port of Cartagena to be sold during Spanish colonial times. He got off to a rocky start with a tumble and a bruise, though.
CARTAGENA, Colombia — Pope Francis wrapped up his Colombia trip with a deeply personal final day Sunday honoring St. Peter Claver, a fellow Jesuit who ministered to hundreds of thousands of African slaves who arrived in the port of Cartagena to be sold during Spanish colonial times.
Francis’ visit to Cartagena got off to a rocky start, however, when he banged his head on his popemobile when it stopped short amid swarms of well-wishers. Francis, who only had a hip-high bar to hold onto, lost his balance and suffered a bruised, black left eye and a cut on his eyebrow that dripped blood onto his white cassock.
The cut was quickly bandaged with a butterfly patch, and Francis carried on without incident with his program. Devotees reacted to the wound with a mix of amazement and concern.
“This holy blood is staying in Colombia,” said Ricardo Morales, a lawyer who lined up outside St. Peter Claver’s church for a glimpse of the pope. “He made a great effort to be here and from now on it’s our obligation to make a similar effort to thank him for everything he has done.”
Once recovered, Francis visited the St. Peter Claver church, where he praised the 17th century missionary for having recognized the inherent dignity of slaves.
In a prayer, Francis said the legacy of the Spanish priest should serve as a model for the Catholic Church today to “promote the dignity of all our brothers and sisters, particularly the poor and the excluded of society, those who are abandoned, immigrants and those who suffer violence and human trafficking.”