Why we can't trust what the Vatican says: A mini-history of the last 60 da

Pope John Paul rushed to hospital
BBC News, 2/1/05

Pope John Paul II has been rushed to hospital in Rome suffering from breathing difficulties brought on by flu, the Vatican has confirmed.

It said in a statement, the 84-year-old Polish-born pontiff was suffering from an acute respiratory infection.

He was admitted to the Gemelli hospital as a precaution and is not in intensive care, the Vatican said.

Pope to remain hospitalized
Associated Press, 2/2/05

Pope John Paul II will remain hospitalized a few more days as a precaution, the Vatican said Monday, a day after the 84-year-old pope appeared at his clinic window to show the world he was recovering from his latest health crisis.

Pope to spend a week in hospital
BBC News, 2/3/05

Pope John Paul II is expected to spend a week in hospital, where he is recovering from an acute respiratory infection, a Vatican spokesman said.

His condition is said to be improving after passing a "calm" night at Rome's Gemelli hospital.

Vatican: Pope to stay in hospital
CNN, 2/7/05

Pope John Paul II will remain in hospital for a few more days to recover fully from his respiratory infection, the Vatican has said, adding that his condition continues to improve.

The health bulletin was made Monday, the day after the 84-year-old pontiff appeared at his clinic window to show the world he was recovering from his latest health crisis.

Papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said the pope had no fever, was eating regularly and had been sitting in a chair for the past several hours. Officials said the frail pope's sixth night at Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic hospital passed calmly.

Pope's four-word window blessing
The Guardian, 2/7/05

The Pope appeared at his hospital window yesterday and uttered four almost unintelligible words of blessing to the crowds below to show that his ailing body has not yet defeated him.

Improving Pope stays in hospital
The Guardian, 2/8/05

The Pope will remain in hospital until Thursday at least, the Vatican said yesterday. He no longer had a temperature but was being kept in as a precautionary measure, it added.

He was eating normally, and he sat up in a chair for several hours yesterday, according to official reports.

He had been reading the papers, "just to follow... the evolution of my health", the Vatican spokesman, Joaquin Navarro Valls, quoted him as saying.

Ailing Pope misses Ash Wednesday services
CBC News, 2/9/05

Despite continuing improvements to his health, Pope John Paul II missed presiding over Ash Wednesday public prayers for the first time in his 26-year papacy.

His eighth night in the hospital passed calmly, the ANSA news agency said Wednesday.

'Cured' Pope returns to Vatican
BBC News, 2/10/05

Pope John Paul II has returned to the Vatican after spending nine days in Rome's Gemelli hospital.

Aides strung plastic sheets between the hospital exit and the "popemobile" vehicle to keep the Pope from the cold.

Pope sweeps back to the Vatican 'impatient to work again'
The Telegraph, 2/11/05

The Pope returned to the Vatican last night after spending nine days in hospital with flu and a throat infection that had restricted his breathing and raised serious concerns for his life.

Instead of quietly slipping out of the hospital in an ambulance or car as had been expected, true to his style the frail, 84-year-old pontiff left amid a blaze of flashing cameras, waving to the crowds of applauding onlookers from the illuminated interior of his "popemobile".

Doctors perform tracheotomy on pope
CNN, 2/24/05

Hours after Pope John Paul II was hospitalized with a recurrence of the flu, doctors performed a successful tracheotomy to ease the ailing pontiff's breathing, a Vatican spokesman has said.

"He's fine, and he's tranquil," said Gianna Letta, under-secretary for Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.


Pope breathing on his own after tranquil night
CBC News, 2/25/05

Pope John Paul II is breathing on his own after spending a restful night in the hospital recovering from a successful tracheotomy, the Vatican said Friday.

Navarro-Valls said the Pope had a "tranquil" night and had a good appetite, eating a breakfast Friday morning consisting of coffee, 10 small biscuits and yogurt.

Vatican: Pope to follow Sunday blessing
CNN, 2/26/05

Pope John Paul II, hospitalized since Thursday and unable to speak since undergoing a tracheotomy, will follow Sunday's traditional Angelus blessing from his hospital room, Vatican officials said early Saturday.

Archbishop Leonardo Sandri will read the message and prayer in St. Peter's Square. The pontiff will participate, at least symbolically, from his room at Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital.

Pope surprises crowd with wave from window
Boston Globe, 2/28/05

Pope John Paul II waved his trembling right hand yesterday from the window of the hospital ward where he is recovering, bringing a round of applause, a surge of joy, and a few tears among those gathered for a prayer vigil for the increasingly frail pontiff.

Pope doing well, reports Vatican
BBC News, 2/28/05

Pope John Paul II is recovering steadily from his throat operation, the Vatican has said after the pontiff's fifth night in hospital.

"He is doing well, his condition is improving," said spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls, outside Rome's Gemelli hospital on Tuesday.

The 84-year-old pontiff has suffered no post-operative complications, and is now spending some time sitting in an armchair, Monday's statement said.

Pope Recovering Well, Speaking More-Visitors
Reuters, 3/2/05

Pope John Paul's recovery from his latest bout of breathing problems is proceeding "absolutely positively" and he is speaking better than expected after throat surgery, visitors to the hospitalized Pontiff said Wednesday.

Rome mayor Walter Veltroni met top Papal aides who he said had assured him the 84-year-old Pope was well on the road to recovery.

Veltroni said the Papal aides who "confirmed to me that the Pope's recovery from illness is moving ahead absolutely positively."


Pope 'improving,' Vatican says
CBC News, 3/3/05

Pope John Paul II's condition is "progressively improving" but doctors haven't yet set a date for the frail pontiff to leave the hospital, the Vatican says.

He said the 84-year-old Pope wants to leave Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic hospital, where he underwent an emergency tracheotomy on Feb. 24, but is accepting doctors' advice not to rush back to the Vatican.

"The health of the Holy Father John Paul II continues to improve and show progress," said Navarro-Valls.

"As previously stated, the Pope is eating regularly and spends several hours each day in an armchair. The surgical wound is healing."

Pope to Appear on Sunday, Aide Will Read Blessing
Reuters, 3/4/05

Pope John Paul will appear at his hospital window on Sunday and greet the faithful, but will almost certainly not speak, his spokesman said on Friday.

"The Angelus will be like last Sunday," spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls told reporters after visiting the 84-year-old Pope in the Gemelli hospital.

Navarro-Valls added that the Pope would make the sign of the cross with his hand to people gathered outside his window.

"The rehabilitation is continuing to go well," Navarro-Valls said on Friday.

Pope 'at Vatican before Easter'
BBC News, 3/7/05

Pope John Paul II should be well enough to leave hospital by 20 March in time for Holy Week - the run-up to Easter.

Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said the 84-year-old pontiff had suffered no complications since his tracheotomy surgery on 24 February.

"We expect him to be back in the Vatican before the start of Holy Week," he said in Monday's health bulletin.

Pope makes surprise appearance
BBC News, 3/9/05

Pope John Paul II has made a brief surprise appearance at his hospital window in Rome, the third since he was taken ill with flu last month.

The 84-year-old pontiff, who underwent throat surgery two weeks ago, clasped his hands together, waved and repeatedly blessed wellwishers.

He spent about two minutes waving and making signs of the cross to the crowd, prompting applause.

"I wanted to see his hands and I saw them - I'm so happy," said newly-wed Darlene Marquez.

Pope Leaves Rome Hospital
Reuters, 3/13/05

Pope John Paul left Rome's Gemelli Hospital Sunday, 18 days after he underwent throat surgery to relieve severe breathing problems.

The Pope left the hospital riding in a gray van. He was wearing his traditional white cassock and waved to a crowd of well-wishers as he left the hospital gates to return to the Vatican.

The Pope has already delegated senior cardinals to preside at nearly all Holy Week events but may make brief appearances at some of them.

Pope Links Health Woes, Christ Suffering
Associated Press, 3/18/05

In a highly personal message to priests, Pope John Paul II said Friday he was uniting his sufferings with those of Christ as he prepares for Holy Week services and the first Palm Sunday Mass he will be forced to skip in his 26-year papacy.

He was discharged Sunday and is convalescing at his apartment with a view of St. Peter's Square. Accepting the advice of his doctors, John Paul's only Holy Week commitment is an Easter Sunday blessing.

Tired pope makes silent Palm Sunday appearance
AFP, 3/20/05

A visibly tired Pope John Paul II appeared briefly at his apartment window to bless tens of thousands of pilgrims in St Peter's Square on Palm Sunday, the start of the Holy Week of Easter.

The crowd of around 50,000 pilgrims erupted into lengthy applause as the 84-year-old pope, leaning to his right in his seat and in obvious difficulty, blessed them with a palm branch.

John Paul Is Silent On Palm Sunday
Washington Post, 3/21/05

Pope John Paul II briefly appeared at his apartment window and silently blessed the massive crowds that attended Palm Sunday Mass at St. Peter's Square, marking the first time in his 26-year papacy that he did not preside over or speak at the services that usher in Holy Week.

Dressed in his usual papal robes, John Paul first blessed the crowds with an olive branch in hand but moments later set it aside. He then covered his eyes with his right hand and pounded his palm once on a lectern, apparently frustrated by his inability to speak. The pope, 84, looked gaunt and weak during his 1 1/2-minute appearance, his third since he was released from the hospital a week ago.

Pope Health Still Precarious, to Skip Good Friday
Reuters, 3/22/05

Pope John Paul's recovery from throat surgery is going slower than hoped for, raising even more doubts over if and when he can resume normal activities, Vatican sources said on Tuesday.

"Unfortunately, things are not going as well as we would have hoped," a Vatican monsignor told Reuters. "These are the ups and downs of post-operative convalescence for a man of his age and condition."

"It is clear the Pope is suffering a lot," said another cleric who works in the Vatican.

Report: Pope Not Doing Well on Medication
Associated Press, 3/22/05

Pope John Paul II is vomiting, suffering strong headaches and not responding well to his medications, an Italian news agency reported Tuesday, but the pontiff's chief doctor dismissed speculation the pope will be hospitalized again.

The Apcom news agency, quoting unnamed sources, also reported that John Paul was suffering from overall weakness as he recovered from surgery to ease a breathing crisis.

But the head of the pope's medical team, Dr. Rodolfo Proietti, ruled out media speculation that the pope's health had deteriorated suddenly and might require a return to the hospital he was discharged from 10 days ago.

"No hospitalization of John Paul II is planned," the ANSA news agency quoted Proietti as saying.

Pope to sit out Easter services
BBC News, 3/24/05

Pope John Paul II is expected to sit out Vatican ceremonies for the Easter weekend for the first time in his 26-year papacy.

Cardinals will stand in for the 84-year-old pontiff, who is likely to appear by video link.

The Pope left hospital on Sunday, more than two weeks after undergoing throat surgery, but there are reports that his health has deteriorated further.

Pope Weak, Sidelined, But 'Lucid' on Good Friday
Reuters, 3/25/05

Christians around the world commemorated the death of Christ on Good Friday and a senior cardinal sought to reassure Roman Catholics, saying Pope John Paul was still "lucid" despite his great physical frailty.

He was last seen in public Wednesday, when he appeared from his window for little more than a minute. He looked gaunt, pale and pained and did not speak. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the head of the powerful Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, told an Italian television program the Pope was physically weak but lucid.

Note: The "Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith" is the Orwellian name for the Inquisition.

"The Pope is working in absolute lucidity," Ratzinger said during an Italian television program called "The Pope's Calvary," due to be broadcast Friday night before the Way of the Cross procession.


Cardinal Gives Pope Chance to Rest Up
Associated Press, 3/26/05

A top Vatican cardinal stood in for Pope John Paul II during the Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday, sparing the ailing pontiff from a lengthy ceremony and allowing him to rest up for Easter Sunday, when he was expected to bless the faithful.

German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, a close papal aide, celebrated the three-hour long meditation in St. Peter's Basilica. The Mass went late into the night as the faithful prepared to celebrate the resurrection of Christ on Easter, the most joyous event of the church calendar.

In a message read by Ratzinger at the start of the service, John Paul assured the crowd he was watching the Mass on television in his Vatican apartment � increasingly the way the 84-year-old pope participates in church events.

Pope Blesses Tourists at Vatican on Easter
Assocated Press, 3/27/05

Pope John Paul II blessed tens of thousands of pilgrims and tourists who packed St. Peter's Square for Easter Sunday by making the sign of the cross with his hand, but he was unable to speak.

Aides had readied a microphone, and the pope appeared to be trying to utter a few words from his studio window. After making a few sounds, he eventually just made signs of the cross and the microphone was taken away.

John Paul also skipped the Easter vigil Mass in St. Peter's Basilica on Saturday night, to give him more time to rest up for Sunday's blessing. German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, a close papal aide, celebrated the service, and read a papal message in which John Paul assured the crowd that he was watching the Mass on television in his Vatican apartment.

Struggling pope fails to voice Easter blessing for first time
AFP, 3/28/05

Though he struggled with all his might, a suffering Pope John Paul II failed to voice a traditional Easter Sunday blessing for the first time in his 26-year pontificate, in a poignant appearance at his window overlooking a rain-dampened St Peter's Square.

Pope being fed through a tube
CNN, 3/30/05

Pope John Paul II is being fed through a nasal tube in an effort to boost his calorie intake, the Vatican says.

"To improve his calorific intake and promote an efficient recovery of his strength, nutrition via the positioning of a nasal-gastric tube has begun," Joaquin Navarro-Valls said in a statement released Wednesday.

Earlier Wednesday the pope appeared at his studio window and blessed the thousands of faithful in St. Peter's Square.

He appeared alert during the four-minute appearance, which drew cheers from the crowd gathered beneath his window.

Pope's Nasal Tube May Just Be Temporary
Associated Press, 3/30/05

The choice of a nasal feeding tube instead of a stomach tube to boost the pope's nutrition indicates his doctors may be expecting the problem to be temporary, medical experts say.

The nose tube may also have been chosen to get the pontiff strong enough for a more invasive procedure to insert a feeding tube in the stomach, the specialists say.

Pope has lost 19 kilos (42 pounds) since operation
AFP, 3/31/05

Pope John Paul II has lost 19 kilogrammes (42 pounds) in a few weeks and there is great concern over his chances of recovery, a Vatican source said as Church opinion-makers questioned whether he should carry on appearing in public.

Antibiotics 'stabilized' Pope's condition: Vatican Radio
CBC News

The medical condition of Pope John Paul II "appears to have been stabilized" overnight by antibiotics, the Vatican's official radio station said on Friday morning.

However, the Vatican hasn't officially verified the prognosis for the pontiff, who took a turn for the worse late Thursday when he developed a high fever because of a urinary tract infection.

Pilgrims gather for sombre vigil as Pope 'nears the end'
London Times, 3/31/05

DOCTORS were rushed to the Pope�s bedside last night as his condition worsened dramatically and a senior cardinal said that he was �nearing the end�.

Rumours swept Rome that the Pope had been given the sacrament of the infirm (last rites).

"The medical situation is being strictly controlled by the Vatican medical team that is taking care of him.�

Vatican sources denied, however, that the Pope was being transferred to the Gemelli hospital in Rome, where he has already been treated twice since the beginning of February.

Pope's condition apparently stable: Vatican radio
AFP, 3/31/05

Pope John Paul II seems to be reacting well to antibiotic treatment and his condition "appears to have been stabilized," the Vatican's official radio said.

"The pontiff seems to be reacting well to the antibiotics that he has been administered, and, at the very end of the evening, his condition appears to have stabilized," Vatican radio said in a report posted on its website.

Pope's Condition Stabilizing: Vatican Priest
Reuters, 3/31/05

Pope John Paul's condition is stabilizing following medication for a high fever and urinary infection, a Polish priest who works at the Vatican said on Friday.

"The Pope's health is stabilizing," said Father Konrad Hejmo, who is in charge of Polish pilgrims to the Vatican and has close ties to the Pontiff's inner circle.

Pope in Serious Condition After Heart Failure
Fox News

Pope John Paul II was in "very serious" condition after suffering heart failure, the Vatican said Friday morning.

The latest downturn in the pontiff's health developed after he contracted a very high fever brought on by a urinary tract infection on Thursday. He received the Roman Catholic sacrament for the gravely ill and the dying once known as "Last Rites."

Heart failure occurs when the organ lacks the strength to pump blood through the body, and indicates that the body's cardiac system is collapsing.

The Vatican's statement, however, also added that "the Holy Father is conscious, lucid, and serene" and had taken part in 6 a.m. mass Friday.

Pope receives last rites after heart attack, condition 'very serious': Vatican
AFP, 4/1/05

Pope John Paul II is struggling between life and death after suffering a heart attack, the Vatican said after the pontiff's condition deteriorated dramatically and he received communion for the dying.

The pope was immediately given "the appropriate cardio-respiratory assistance," he said. It was not clear if the pope had been connected to a life-support machine.

Vatican Denies Pope Slipped Into Coma
AFP, 4/1/05

A Vatican official dismissed as "rubbish" Italian media reports that Pope John Paul had fallen into a coma.

On Friday morning, the Vatican described the Pope's health as "very grave" after the 84-year-old suffered heart failure.

Later, two Italian news agencies and the teletext service of Italian state broadcaster RAI reported the Pope had fallen into a coma. But the Vatican official knocked the reports down.

The Vatican statement said the Pope was still "conscious, lucid and tranquil" and had celebrated Mass as dawn broke, but senior clergy indicated that his life was ebbing away.

It seems to me that the Pope will be "lucid, speaking in a strong voice, blessing the faithful, celebrating mass and sitting up in his chair" until about a week after they bury him, at which point the Vatican will report that he is "passing the night calmly and although his condition continues to improve, he will remain in his grave for a few days as a precaution. After that he will compete in the Tour De France. The Vatican strongly denies that putrefaction has set in."

Maybe it is just me, but those "tranquil" nights are murder.

They need one Vatican spokespriest, and the truth would be nice.

It's not like the Pope's death will come as a sudden shock to the faithful after all. His health has been failing for some time.

you hear the same lies. The guy is dying and they didn't want to be honest about it.

He is not in the hospital so that their will be no "untrustworthy" witnesses should they decide to do something "merciful".