ROME – An old saying about the Vatican holds that “the pope is never sick until he’s dead”, and this position has held true in various cycles of papal health crises throughout recent history, until now, with Pope Francis’s current hospital stay.
Throughout Francis’s nearly month-long hospital stay, one of the most noteworthy elements of the ordeal has been the unprecedented level of detail provided in his daily medical bulletins.
Since the pope was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital Feb. 14 for treatment of bronchitis, with doctors later diagnosing a complex respiratory infection and double pneumonia, the Vatican’s level of transparency about his condition has been surprising to many longtime observers who recall how, even 20 years ago, this was almost unthinkable.
