▪️The last words of Pope Francis to his personal healthcare assistant, Massimiliano Strappetti, have been made public
▪️Massimiliano Strappetti has been the Pope’s personal healthcare assistant since 2022 and was with him for 38 days before his death.
▪️According to reports, Massimiliano was always by the Pope’s side, and was there when he made his last appearance at St. Peter’s Basilica
A nurse who was always beside Pope Francis revealed some of the last words Pope Francis spoke to him before his death.
Massimiliano Strappetti was appointed Pope Francis’ personal healthcare assistant in 2022.
Massimiliano was with the Pope for a period of 38 days during his illness before his eventual death on April 21, 2025.
According to reporting by Vatican News, the Pope had thanked Massimiliano for his services and for bringing him back to St. Peter’s Square, where he had his final appearance on Easter Sunday.
He had told the nurse: “Thank you for bringing me back to the Square.” Before that day, the Pope had asked for the opinion of the nurse, wanting to know if going to the Square was feasible given the state of his health. He had asked the nurse: “Do you think I can manage it?” After the last appearance during which he gave his last apostolic blessings, the Pope expressed gratitude to the nurse.
Vatican News reports: “Among the final words of the late Pope Francis was a “thank you” to his personal healthcare assistant, Massimiliano Strappetti, for encouraging him to take one last ride in the popemobile on Sunday after the Urbi et Orbi. He rested in the afternoon, had a quiet dinner, and then at dawn suddenly fell ill and died. “Mr. Strappetti stayed by the Pope’s side during all 38 days of his hospitalization at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, and keeping watch round-the-clock during his recovery at the Casa Santa Marta. He was with the Pope on Easter Sunday, during the Urbi et Orbi blessing. The day before, they had gone together to St. Peter’s Basilica to review the “route” he would take the following day when he was to appear on the Central Loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.
According to Vatican News, the Pope’s final hours were not marked by suffering. The news outlet reports that his sudden illness set in around 5:30am after which he went into a coma. He also made hand gesture, indicating a farewell to his nurse before he died.
It says: “Around 5:30 AM, the first signs of the sudden illness appeared, prompting an immediate response from those keeping watch over him. Around an hour later, after making a gesture of farewell with his hand to Mr. Strappetti, lying in bed in his second-floor apartment at the Casa Santa Marta, the Pope fell into a coma. According to those who were with him in his final moments, he did not suffer. It all happened quickly.”