Pope Francis said he was locked in an elevator on Sunday before being rescued by firefighters, an incident that caused him to arrive late for his weekly Angelus prayer.
"I must apologize for being late," said the 82-year-old pontiff, smiling, at the faithful who patiently waited for him to appear at a window of the papal palace overlooking St. Peter's Square.
"I was stuck in an elevator for 25 minutes"
"I was stuck in an elevator for 25 minutes, there was a blackout and then the firemen came," he said after this seemingly unprecedented incident for a pope. "Let's applaud the fire department," said François, triggering the cheers of the crowd.
The Argentine pope appeared seven minutes late on schedule, causing a start of questions about a possible health problem among the channels broadcasting the Angelus live.
François appears endowed with considerable energy despite his age, but he lost part of a lung in his youth, and his face sometimes expresses a grimace due to sciatica.