Papal health Archives

Key aide to Pope Benedict: As he approaches 90, he’s fine

Vatican
March 19, 2017

In an interview with Vatican Radio, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, the closest aide to emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, says that although the retired pontiff will turn 90 next month, his health is basically good and he continues to keep a very active schedule.

Three years ago brought history’s greatest act of papal humility

Church
February 11, 2016

By sheer coincidence, I was in Rome on Feb. 11, 2013. My wife and I had already moved back to the United States from Rome, but on that date I had returned to give a talk on religious freedom at the Italian Foreign Ministry, which is why I happened to

Five predictions for the unpredictable Pope Francis in 2016

Church
December 6, 2015

Last week I was in Youngstown and Akron, Ohio, where I’ve been speaking at First Friday clubs for several years. My wife Shannon, who handles my speaking calendar, is very loyal to these folks, and insisted that I offer them something new and original. In response, I did something that’s

Vatican denies that Pope Francis has a brain tumor

Church
October 21, 2015

ROME — A report in an Italian newspaper that Pope Francis has a small, curable brain tumor drew a swift denial from the Vatican Wednesday, with a spokesman labeling the story “unfounded …. seriously irresponsible, and not worthy of attention.” Citing an unnamed nurse, the Bologna-based daily Qoutidiano Nazionale (National

Notebook: Really tight security in Philly

Papal Visit
September 22, 2015

With a couple of hours in between papal events in the City of Brotherly Love Saturday afternoon, I decided to go for a walk to see how the city was coping with the influx of more than 1 million people descending on the city, all eager for a glimpse of Pope Francis.

Church
June 21, 2014

ROME — An old saying about the Vatican holds that the pope is never sick until he’s dead. It is a subject — pontiff’s health — on which Vatican officials come by their reputation for denial the old-fashioned way, because over the years they’ve certainly earned it. On Aug. 19,