Pope Francis in hospital: the truth, the half-truths and the future
With at least two months of isolated recovery, Pope Francis faces a completely new era of his pontificate after emerging from a 38-day hospitalization.
(PerMariam) — With Pope Francis discharged from hospital back to the Vatican on Sunday, it is important to analyze the new details of what actually happened during his hospitalization and what the future will resemble as he begins his lengthy convalescence.
Francis returned to the Casa Santa Martha – the Vatican guesthouse he has lived in since 2013 – on Sunday, after the hospital made the surprise announcement on Saturday that he would be discharged. It marked the end of a 38-day hospitalization: the longest of Francis’ pontificate by a good 28 days and the second longest in history, second only to Pope John Paul II’s summer 1981 stay of 55 days.
Much has been said of the Vatican’s communication strategy in this part number of weeks: some commentators arguing Holy See officials were unusually honest, others still questioning how much was being hidden.
Rollercoaster of prognosis
What actually happened, and how many – if any – lies were being told? First, however, a brief recap of the situation is necessary as context in order to understand the serious nature of the pope’s condition.
Francis was taken to the Gemelli on Friday February 14, with the official Vatican reason being “for necessary diagnostic tests and to continue hospital treatment for his ongoing bronchitis.” He was then described as presenting with a fever, which by the following evening had reportedly subsided.
As of February 18 he was diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia, or double pneumonia, with treatment and his medical situation becoming “more complex” according to his doctors.
Doctors held the first – and, barring his discharge announcement, the only – press conference on his condition on February 21, describing Francis as “not out of danger” but “not in danger of death.'“
Less than 24 hours later that changed: he had a respiratory crisis, requiring a blood transfusion and high-flow oxygen usage. His condition was “critical” and from then until March 6, doctors kept his prognosis “reserved,” meaning they would not commit themselves to any long term decision on whether he would recover or not.
February 23 saw him present with mild kidney failure, and so bad was his condition that on February 24 reliable sources reported to Messa in Latino (MIL) that the pope had no more than 72-hours to live. Amidst scorn from some online, who took umbrage at the long-standing journalistic concept of anonymous sources, EWTN’s Raymond Arroyo then relayed similar reports from his own sources. {This correspondent can attest to the trustworthy nature of MIL’s sources, though they must remain anonymous.}
Though the medical bulletin presented a slightly upbeat report of “slight improvement” that evening, the Vatican began a highly significant event that same day, just hours after Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin paid his first visit to Francis – namely the nightly rosaries in St. Peter’s Square, which were highly reminiscent of John Paul II’s final days. Clearly Parolin had been shaken enough by Francis’ condition to judge him close to death.
From then on, Francis was described by doctors as “stationary” or even slightly improving – still with a “reserved” prognosis – until suffering another respiratory crisis on February 28, and a double respiratory failure on March 3 requiring two bronchoscopies.
But from March 10 doctors lifted their “reserved” prognosis and declared that Francis was no longer in imminent danger. The medical bulletins became more infrequent and even less detailed: the Vatican’s own information echoed similar themes.
In fact, by the week running up to his surprise discharge they were only two medical bulletins per week – this despite the double pneumonia still being present.
Doctors made their now famous declaration of Francis’ hospital discharge on Saturday, March 22. But even this was bizarre: there had been no medical bulletin since March 19 and there was none expected until March 24. In fact, the Vatican even warned they would be giving no supplementary information over that weekend, citing the stable and slowly improving condition of the pope.
Critical or not?
So what changed? How come the doctors announced a press briefing giving less than two hours notice, and then declared that Francis would be discharged less than 24 hours later? What happened to the non-eventful weekend of quiet papal recovery in the hospital? How was it that the Vatican said Friday evening that there was no discharge in sight and yet 21-hours later his doctors announced just that?
A key, and overlooked, aspect is the fact that his doctors were concerned about Francis contracting an infection the longer he remained in hospital. Such is a normal concern in hospitals all over the world, but looking at how frail Francis was on Sunday it seems that it was more concern about a new infection, rather than the success of a particularly stellar recovery, which likely motivated his discharge.
The case could reasonably be made that – barring the un-named infection in the hospital that doctors were concerned about – Francis should have remained in the Gemelli in order to ensure as complete care as possible.
Doctors quipped on Saturday that Francis had been asking to go home for some days, but the man who appeared on the balcony on Sunday – so desperately in need of oxygen and barely able to move his limbs – did not resemble a man pleading to return home to work but rather a man desperately in need of constant care.
But Saturday’s announcement was even more revelatory. Dr Sergio Alfieri, who led Francis’ medical care, attested that Francis nearly lost his life twice in hospital, thus corroborating the reports shared by MIL and Raymond Arroyo and highlighting the medical reality of his volatile and changing medical prognosis – a possibility which many critics online appeared not to acknowledge.
Alfieri also said that the Pope actually arrived to the hospital “with acute respiratory failure.” {Video linked in image below}
Earlier this week Alfieri added that Francis’ condition was so bad that after one crisis they nearly stopped treatment to allow him to die, but his personal nurse urged them to continue.
This is a much more serious picture than the one painted in the official Vatican statement at the time and the medical bulletins issued. It leads to the question who wrote the bulletins? The answer — Pope Francis, his secretaries and his doctors.
Many have praised the Vatican’s more open communication during this papal hospitalization, but in reality the standard custom of withholding many aspects has been maintained to varying degrees. Much was also made of the fact that Francis himself worked with his doctors to approve the wording of all the medical bulletins issued: and if true then it is they who are behind the downplaying of the seriousness of his condition.
True: certain aspects were included which were surprisingly detailed, such as the interventions of bronchoscopies needed after the second respiratory crisis. But even with these bulletins, it appears that the true seriousness of the Pope’s condition was not fully revealed.
Dr. Alfieri also told Italian media on Tuesday that Francis visited other parts of his hospital ward in his wheelchair upon his request: if this is true, it is remarkable that no mention was made of this significant sign of recovery in the medical bulletins. But it is also remarkable that they deemed it safe for him to do so, given the risk of infection in the hospital – an infection which they cited as the very reason for his return to the Vatican. Such a claim by Alfieri therefore appears dubious at best.
As with previous papal hospitalizations, the truth of many aspects is now emerging gradually, but only after the fact.
Vaticanists and analysts will not be surprised by shortcomings, half-truths or lies in official communiques about papal health – such has been standard practice before. Others might argue why does it matter, shouldn’t the Pope have his illness in private?
But the fact remains that the Pope has created around himself the strong cult of public imagery. Given that he – reportedly – decided to coordinate with the doctors to release his medical information, such information should be truthful at the very least because the effort to produce it has been made. But also because given his very public persona and particular papal style, Catholics look to have that reflected in every stage of his pontificate and will grow suspicious when it is not.
After all, if the Pope is indeed recovering well enough to be concelebrating Mass and doing work, then he could surely greet the faithful from a window. Yet this did not happen for the entire stay, and the only image taken of his was from behind which hid his face.
Furthermore, if the Pope is in his final days the Catholic faithful should be exhorted to pray for his soul. Instead, the only focus was for his physical health, with no mention made of praying for his spiritual well-being during his ill-health.
Francis to the Casa, what now?
When the Pope appeared in public for the first time he was markedly frail. On the hospital balcony for less than three minutes without oxygen, Francis managed a few brief sentences but was visibly struggling for breath as he was taken inside. {Video link on image below}
Pictured in the car on the drive, the nasal cannulas were back in position for him.
Francis could also hardly raise his arms and significant bruising was visible on his palms. With a convalescence of “at least two months” being ordered by his doctors, and oxygen very much a necessity, the Pope remains a highly frail and notably ill man.
24-hour care is required, with the Vatican informing journalists that the Pope’s medical team will be in attendance around the clock to oversee his recovery.
His inner circle will now be limited to a very small and select few, including his three secretaries – chiefly Fathers Daniel Pellizon and Juan Cruz – along with his trusted nurse and physician. Large-attendance events are out.
Residents of the Santa Martha have been instructed to avoid the Pope’s floor of residence – the second floor. “To favor the prompt and complete recovery of the Holy Father as soon as possible, everyone is requested, without exception, not to access the second floor,” an instruction reads. Such severe isolation is notable, though residents are generally requested to avoid his floor as a general rule anyway.
Francis requires nursing care and physical assistance and his staff will have to struggle to make the Santa Martha guesthouse accommodate his needs – a particular irony given that the Apostolic Palace he rejected has the capability for the medical care he requires.
Will it now be a quiet period as the Argentine Pontiff tries to recuperate? Or will it be a flurry of activity as he pushes through with key aspects of his agenda while he can?
This remains to be seen, though given that Francis has rejoined power to himself more than to other offices in the Roman Curia – by virtue of successive reforms – he will have to do more work personally than his predecessors in similar positions.
Already Francis has approved the controversial 3-year extension to the Synod on Synodality from his hospital bed, suggesting that any topic he cares enough about will find a way to be enacted.
Given that Cdl. Parolin only officially visited Francis three times in his 38-day hospitalization, it also seems unlikely that their relationship is strong enough to render the Secretariat of State being of greater utility to Francis than normal. Parolin will, however, assume many duties by default such as the welcoming of visiting heads of state and dignitaries who would have met with the Pope.
Francis has spent most of his pontificate as a media pope, regularly being adored in the eyes of the liberal media for playing to their tune and giving an incredible number of interviews. For the past five weeks and for at least the next two months, he will be mostly hidden. He eschewed appearing in public in a wheelchair until it was unavoidable; now it seems he will have to take a similar measure with his oxygen cannulas.
Regardless, Catholics must continue their prayers for his health and his spiritual particularly, as he approaches the common fate that unites men of all ranks – death and judgement before God.
Our nightmare as Traditional Catholics may finally be ending but the garbage waiting lurking in the Vatican may be worse if that is even possible- these Masonic turd gobblers will continue serving their kike masters and we will suffer more of their evil- Franky looks terrified as he well should!
The argentine papa looks bad 📸 in that pic.