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Moment Pope Francis, 79, FALLS OVER during Mass in front of a TV audience of millions while visiting Poland’s holiest site

This is the moment Pope Francis fell over during Mass in front of a television audience of millions while visiting Poland’s holiest site.

The 79-year-old Pontiff stumbled at the altar and had to be helped to his feet as he celebrated a Mass at the Jasna Gora Monastery in the southern city of Czestochowa.

Pictures show him tumbling to the floor next to steps leading to the open air altar and being helped to his feet by Vatican Master of Ceremonies, Guido Marini. He was uninjured and finished the event, which was aired to a television audience of millions.

Francis, walking in his long robe with an incense holder in his hand, did not notice a step down from the platform and fell to the ground before the altar. He braced his fall with his left hand and priests around him rushed to help.

World at war over money, not religious faith, says Pope

"Religions don’t want war. The others want war," Pope Francis said.

The conflicts afflicting the world are about wealth, power and control of natural resources, not religion, Pope Francis said on Wednesday.

"It’s warfare over interests, money and natural resources, I am not speaking of a war of religion," Francis said after knifemen beheaded an 86-year-old priest at a church in northern France on Tuesday in an attack claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group.

"Religions don’t want war. The others want war," he added.

He made the remarks to reporters during a flight from Rome to Krakow, where he was due to kick off a five-day visit to Poland by attending the city’s World Youth day celebrations taking place till Sunday.

"We shouldn’t be afraid of telling the truth: the world is at war because it has lost the peace," Francis added.

Poland’s Interior Minister says more than 39,000 police and other security officers will be ensuring security as Francis meets hundreds of thousands of young pilgrims from around the globe in southern Poland.

The papal visit includes open-air masses and prayers with around 1.5 million World Youth Day participant, visits to the site of the former Nazi death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau and to Jasna Gora, Poland’s holiest shrine.

It is the first visit by Francis to Poland, one of Europe’s most Catholic nations, which produced late Polish pope, St. John Paul II.

(Pics from 31st World Youth Day held in Krakow, Poland)