Pope Francis in the Vatican. Photo:Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS
For centuries, discussing the health of pontiffs in the Vatican has been taboo. However, since 14 February, when Pope Francis was hospitalised at the Gemelli Clinic in Rome, the Vatican has changed its strategy. Daily medical reports, detailed descriptions of treatment and statements from doctors – this level of transparency has never been seen in the history of the papacy.
Why did the Vatican change course?
The press service of the Holy See began to regularly report on the Pope’s condition: the need for oxygen support, blood transfusions, and even a “protracted respiratory crisis similar to asthma”.
“It increases the credibility of official information,” journalist Greg Erlandson told Reuters.
According to John Tavis, who has covered three pontificates, such openness is part of Francis’ communication style, but at the same time it contrasts sharply with the Vatican’s traditional reticence on the health of popes.
Pope Francis himself supported openness
Two doctors treating the pontiff said that he himself had asked for daily updates.
“His instructions were clear: don’t hide anything,” said Dr Sergio Alfieri.
According to sources close to the Pope, Francis was personally involved in the drafting of the first reports and urged doctors to be even more specific.
Response to rumours and conspiracies
The Vatican feared that the lack of official information could lead to misinformation.
Indeed, immediately after Francis’ hospitalisation, rumours of his death spread on social media, and artificially generated photos appeared that allegedly showed the Pope connected to a ventilator.
“The Vatican has finally realised that it is better to tell the truth than to allow conspiracy theorists to fill the information vacuum,” said Father Tom Reese.
The end of the era of secrecy?
In the past, the health of pontiffs was carefully concealed. Pope John Paul II struggled for years with Parkinson’s disease, but the Vatican confirmed it only two years before his death. And Pope John XXIII’s stomach cancer was officially disclosed only after his death.
“The Pope used to not get sick until his death. But now that has changed,” concluded historian Christopher Bellitto.
