With news of his ailing health, many people are wondering: Is the pope dead?
Pope Francis was appointed after Pope Benedict XVI. had resigned and resigned from his role as head of the Catholic Church. Benedict’s resignation was the first since Gregory XII. in 1415. In a Vatican statement, the Pope said: “After repeatedly examining my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that, because of my advanced age, my strengths are no longer fit for a proper exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am aware that this ministry, by its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only in words and deeds, but no less in prayer and suffering.”
The current Pope has suffered from health problems in the past. With his new hospitalization, many people are wondering if the Pope is dead. Read more about his health issues below.
Is the pope dead?
Image: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
Is the pope dead? No, the Pope is not dead. On March 29, 2023, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis would be hospitalized for the days leading up to Holy Week. He does not have COVID-19 but has other health issues.
“In the last few days, Pope Francis has been complaining of some breathing difficulties and this afternoon he went to the Polyclinic A. Gemelli for some medical examinations,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement, referring to the hospital in Rome, where popes are usually treated. “The result of the same showed a respiratory infection (except for a Covid-19 infection) which will require a few days of appropriate hospital medical treatment.”
“Pope Francis is touched by the many messages received and expresses his gratitude for the closeness and prayer,” Bruni added. Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera later reported that he was taken to hospital by ambulance after suffering heart and breathing problems following his traditional address in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, prompting him to cancel a scheduled television interview. Earlier in the day, the Vatican had said his hospital visit was planned. “The Holy Father has been in Gemelli since this afternoon for some previously scheduled tests,” Bruni said.
The 86-year-old pope’s schedule for the two days following his hospitalization has been canceled, according to the Italian news agency ANSA reported, adding that the pope already had a chest CT scan and that his blood saturation levels were fine. No heart problems have been identified, according to the news source. Overall, the situation should not be of particular concern, medical sources told ANSA.
When he was younger, Pope Francis survived severe pneumonia and had part of a lung removed. In 2021, the pope had about 13 inches of his colon removed because the Vatican said it was an inflammation that was causing his colon to narrow. Francis told The Associated Press that bulges in his intestinal wall had “returned”.
In conversation with The Associated Press, he said: “I am in good health. I’m normal for my age,” he said, often adding zestfully, “I could die tomorrow, but it’s under control. I am in good health. ”
Pope Francis recently announced in an interview with Spanish news outlet ABC via CNN that he had signed his letter of resignation in case he was “impaired”. “I have already signed my waiver. The Secretary of State at the time was Tarcisio Bertone. I signed it and said, ‘If I get disabled for medical reasons or whatever, here’s my waiver.’ Francis has been using a wheelchair for over a year due to sprained ligaments in his right knee and a minor fracture.
Image: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
In the same interview with the Associated Press, Francis emphasized his role as “bishop of Rome” rather than pope: “Continue to be bishop, bishop of Rome in communion with all the bishops of the world.” He said he wanted the concept of the papacy as a ruler or papal End “Court of Justice”.
President Joe Biden responded to the news at the start of an Oval Office meeting with President Alberto Fernández of Argentina, telling reporters he had just learned of Francis’ health issues and saying he was concerned for his dear “friend.”
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. the day before 2023, on December 31, 2022. For several days he suffered from deteriorating health due to his advanced age, the Vatican press office said, with Pope Francis publicly sharing news of Benedict’s deteriorating condition the week before. Benedict was the first pope to leave the Catholic Church since the 15th century.
Pope Francis, in a New Year’s Eve vigil, thanked Benedict’s “witness of faith and prayer, especially in these final years of retired life.” He added that only God “knows of his sacrifices made for the good of the Church.” In an interview with the Associated Press, he described Benedict as an “old-fashioned gentleman” and that he had “lost a father.” “For me he was a security. If in doubt, I would ask about the car and go to the monastery and ask,” he said of his visits to Benedict’s retirement home for advice. “I lost a good companion.”
Pope Francis has mixed messages about whether or not he wants to retire. According to USA Today, the outlet reported that Francis has hinted at retiring since the beginning of his papacy, saying he would like to see retirement for popes “normalized.” In July, after a trip to Canada, Francis said “the door is open” to his retirement one day. He said if he resigned he would be named Bishop Emeritus of Rome and live in the residence for retired priests in the Diocese of Rome. Of his own health and future, he said, “It never even occurred to me to write a will.”
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