On Popes Health, Vatican Communications Conspicuous By Its Absence

On February 16, 80-year-old President Joe Biden traveled through Washington for a check-up at Walter Reed Medical Center. The visit was not particularly alarming, as White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre told reporters beforehand that the meeting was scheduled and had ordered a full medical bulletin by the end of the day.

Also on Tuesday, the 86-year-old Pope Francis traveled through the city of Rome to the Gemelli Hospital for an examination. He was there for less than an hour, but since the Vatican had not informed him in advance and no one knew the reason for his visit, the surprise caused panic throughout the morning.

His response made no sense the last time the pope made an unannounced trip to Gemeli in late March, where he struggled with acute bronchitis for four days, and later said he would have made it if he had been in hospital longer stayed happened, it was a different story.

This time, Francis arrived at the hospital at 10:40 a.m. Roman time, but the Vatican did not even confirm that he spent three and a half hours there. Although the silence was clearly a pre-arranged visit, we later learned that the Pope had been inside less than an hour and had not arrived by ambulance.

In other words, the Vatican could have warned, but chose not to. In this difference lies the story between transparency and confusion.

On the contrary, by the way, do not dwell on what was said before.

Hours after Biden's exam, the president's personal physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor gave Jean-Pierre a five-page memorandum, which was immediately published in the press. While the main note is that the President "remains fit for duty and fully discharges all his duties without exception or accommodation," he is filled with additional details.

O'Connor noted that while Biden tested positive for Covid in July 2022, he had only mild symptoms, responded well to standard outpatient therapy and showed no "old" Covid symptoms.

O'Connor also said the investigation found a small lesion on Biden's breast and removed it for a biopsy. It later turned out that the injury was harmless.

In addition, O'Connor lists nine conditions facing Biden:

1. Non-valvular atrial fibrillation ("atrial fibrillation"), which keeps Biden stable while taking standard anticoagulants
2. Hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol)
3. Gastroesophageal reflux
4. Seasonal allergy
5. A stiff gait, indicating a condition of osteoarthritis
6. Mild peripheral sensory neuropathy of the feet
7. Skin cancer surveillance
8. optometry care
9. Dental care

In each case, O'Connor described the president's condition as stable. O'Connor is a former US Army flight surgeon and founding director of George Washington University's medical program.

What have we learned from the Vatican after Pope Francis' investigation?

There was a statement from the Vatican's spokesman, Matteo Bruni, who said: "This morning Pope Francis went to the Gemelli Hospital for some clinical tests and before noon back to the Vatican."

If you blink, you'll miss it. It is not entirely clear why he went to Gemeli, who examined him, what tests were done and what the results were.

By the way, while Bruni is a nice person and a good conversationalist, he has no medical training or education, so he doesn't risk his professional status and reputation by making claims about the health of whales like a real doctor would not. .

Italian media add some details. The Pope reportedly visited the "Medical Center for the Elderly" in Djemelli, and the examination was probably the result of a short hospital stay at the end of March. He never seemed to think that Francisco might need overnight treatment, since the center he attended was only an outpatient.

However, none of this is coming from official channels. In this situation, the Vatican seems to really enjoy foaming at the mouth, perhaps especially in the press corps.

How to explain the difference between the White House and the Vatican?

One could mention the cultural divide between the Anglo-Saxons, with our requests for transparency, and the Italians, who do not share the same expectations; In fact, a cynic might say that sometimes they prefer to think about what actually happened. knowledge

One can also refer to the traditional wisdom of the Vatican about the Pope's health. It is a well-known fact that Pope John Paul II was the first journalist to suggest that Parkinson's could get him into trouble, and it took years for it to be officially acknowledged.

When I arrived in Rome thousands of years ago, there were rumors that Pope John Paul II had a cold. I called the Vatican's press secretary, who angrily dismissed my question: "Si tratta della vita privata del papa," he said, "this is a matter of the Pope's private life."

But I suspect the underlying explanation lies elsewhere: The president of the United States needs the press in a way that the pope does not.

Biden is running for re-election, and his age and longevity certainly will. She needs to be as honest as possible about her health, and the last thing she wants is for unnecessary health scares to dominate the news and remind people how old and frail she is.

The Pope feels no such pressure. Even if journalists complain about the blackout, it does little harm to the Pope and his closest advisers, who remain in absolute power.

Yes, Francis is on good terms with some of the media and seems to enjoy friendly interviews. However, this is different from feeling obligated to answer press inquiries, especially for articles that usually ask questions you don't want answered.

By the way, most of the public frustration the Vatican press office feels when information is insufficient and slow is mostly not their fault. A Vatican spokesman can only report what his superiors say, which usually means the authority rests with the Secretariat of State. Just as a good mechanic would never blame his tools, Vatican officials cannot blame the PR team for not covering a story they were previously unaware of.

Would it have been better if the Vatican had been more open about the pope's physical condition...or really not even interested in avoiding unprovoked insanity? Natural.

Is there any reason to believe that this will be the case? As long as there is always hope that the gospel will return, I will not hold my breath.

Pope against coronavirus