Cardinal Francis George (pic'd here) was hospitalized with a slight hip fracture Saturday after he slipped and fell inside a Chicago church while blessing Easter baskets, archdiocese officials said.George, 70, was at St. Ferdinand Catholic Church on the Northwest Side Saturday morning to bless baskets of food for Easter meals and slipped on some holy water that had splashed onto the marble floor, said Colleen Dolan, spokeswoman for the archdiocese.
Upon falling, the cardinal appeared to land squarely on his hips in a seated position and grimaced in pain.
He did not lose consciousness and even continued with the blessing. But shortly after the service, the pain in his right hip grew more severe and he was taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood in a private car.
Though the injury was not serious and did not require surgery, Dolan said George would remain hospitalized for a few days of physical therapy and using a walker, to not apply pressure to his hip."He took a fall . . . in his exuberance with the holy water," Dolan said. "He was concerned when it started to hurt more. That is why he wanted to check, and we're glad he did."
The accident and hospitalization spell a double disappointment for George.
This Easter will be the first time he has not celebrated mass at Chicago's Holy Name Cathedral since he became archbishop in 1997. He will say mass privately in his hospital room, Dolan said.
Also, the injury means the cancellation of a highly anticipated trip to Rome this month for celebrations marking his 10th anniversary as Catholic archbishop of Chicago. George had planned to leave for the Vatican on Friday, but will remain in Chicago, Dolan said.
"He is very sorrowed he can't be at Holy Name Cathedral for mass . . . He would ask for prayers from all the people of the archdiocese," Dolan said.
George, spiritual leader of the Chicago area's Roman Catholic community and one of the most respected leaders of the U.S. Catholic Church, battled polio as a child and wears a brace on his right leg, the same side that was injured in Saturday's fall.
Last July, George was diagnosed with bladder cancer and underwent surgery that removed his bladder, prostate and a portion of his right ureter. Though he lost 20 pounds after the surgery, George appeared to have made a remarkable recovery and resumed an active schedule this year."I think his energy level had gotten stronger in the last few weeks. He had reached back to his old stride," Dolan said.
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