Associated Press (AP) recently covered a video where Pope Francis is the protagonist. He was driving through St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City and stopped to talk with bystanders and remained inside the popemobile while talking with Mexican seminary students from the Legion of Christ. The students then asked the Pope about the condition of his knee.
“Very capricious!” answered Francis in the video, which was published via USA Today.
As the students showed their gratitude to the Pope for pushing through the pain and expressed their admiration, Francis made the entire crowd laugh with his next lines.
“You know what I need for my leg? Some tequila!” said Francis.
The students laughed and said they would deliver a bottle of tequila to the hotel where the Pope is currently residing.
Even if his statement was nothing more but a joke, it was not entirely wrong, either. According to studies, moderate consumption of alcohol can help with chronic pain. This is the reason why it is so common for Mexican-American restaurants to advertise tequila to their clientele so prominently.
AP reported that the Pope undertakes physical therapy for at least two hours every day and moves in a wheelchair and a cane to prevent the strained ligaments on his knee from becoming more damaged. Pope Francis has been struggling with this injury for a few months now, so it is very likely that he has already been prescribed pain relievers during his diagnosis.
However, if that truly is the case, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism advises not to combine alcohol and drugs. In contrast, statistics say that at least 28% of people who struggle with chronic pain recur to alcohol for relief.
Let’s hope that Pope Francis has a quick recovery.
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