Pope Francis fell and hurt his right arm on Thursday, six weeks after badly bruising his chin in another fall.

The 88-year old’s arm was not broken, a Vatican spokesman said, but was put in a sling as a precautionary measure.

The leader of the Catholic Church has had various health problems in recent years, including bronchitis.

He has been forced to use a wheelchair at times due to frail knees and uses a cane around his apartment in the Santa Marta hotel, where he fell and hit his chin on a bedside table on Dec 7.