Pope Francis
Pope Francis bashed his head in Colombia after the Popemobile stopped abruptly. With a black eye, a cut on his brow and blood on his white cape, the Argentinian continued his schedule. Photo: Getty Images

Pope Francis suffered a minor injure when ironically he collided with the protection glass of his vehicle. Immediately he was assisted by his bodyguard, and the pope continued smiling to the Colombian crowd.

Vatican spokesman Greg Burke told members of the press corps traveling with the Argentinian that he was fine after the mishap on the popemobile. "The pope is alright. Ice was put on it and he was treated." Burke also said "he [Pope Francis] will continue the schedule for his visit with no changes."

After the incident, Pope Francis was seen with a black eye and a bandage near his eyebrow and a few spots of blood on his white cassock. Later that day when Colombian journalist asked the Pope if he was alright, the pontiff joked saying “somebody punched me!”

The event happened in Cartagena on the last day of his 4-day trip to Colombia. During the trip, Francis was seeking to encourage a peace agreement with the FARC guerrillas and to help settle the differences and help the country look forward.

After his departure, the official Twitter page of His Holiness Pope Francis sent a message to the Colombian community.

According to the Vatican Radio, after the papal plane touched down at Rome’s Ciampino airport on Monday afternoon, the pope went to the Rome Basilica of St Mary Major, as he habitually does, to give thanks for his successful journey.

The 80-year-old pontiff is the 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Pope Francis is the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere, the first to have a papal name without a number title since Lando in 913 AD, and the first Pope from outside Europe since the Syrian Gregory III, who reigned in the 8th century.

He became Pope after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on February 28, 2013. A papal conclave elected Bergoglio as his successor on March 13. He chose Francis as his papal name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi.

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