ROME – The Vatican says Pope Benedict XVI has paid a call on an elderly, hospitalized cardinal who broke a hip when a mentally disturbed woman knocked the pontiff down in St. Peter's Basilica on Christmas Eve.
The Vatican did not immediately give details about the Saturday afternoon visit to Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic.
The visit by Benedict to French Cardinal Roger Etchegaray had not been announced.
Benedict was shaken but unhurt Dec. 24 when a young Italian-Swiss woman climbed over a barrier during his procession to the altar. The woman, who is being treated at a psychiatric clinic, grabbed at the pope's vestments, bringing the 82-year-old Benedict to the ground. The cardinal fell during the commotion as security guards rushed to Benedict's aid.
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