According to the Vatican, Pope Francis, 88, has passed away.
During his final weeks in hospital, the Pontiff developed pneumonia in both lungs caused by a respiratory infection.
Francis’s health history, from his lung problems in his youth to his mental health struggles under the dictatorship and his wheelchair and cane use.
In 1936, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in the Argentine city of Buenos Aires and became the first Latin American to hold the title.
As a result of his comparatively liberal views on some subjects, he was both popular and controversial.
Under certain conditions, Francis allowed priests to bless same-s3x couples, and he put concern for the environment at the heart of his papacy.
In 2023, he said transgender people could be baptized if they did not cause scandal or confusion.
However, he did not waver on the issue of abortion. Pope Francis described terminations as ‘an extremely dangerous moral crisis’ in a text released by the Vatican last year.
Lung problems that required major surgery for the young Pope
An infection in his lungs led to Francis’ pleurisy when he was 21 years old.
Inflammation of the pleura, a thin tissue layer separating the lungs from the chest wall, is dangerous.
The symptoms of pleurisy include sharp chest pains that worsen when breathing and shortness of breath in general.
A viral, bacterial, or fungal infection usually triggers the condition.
To save his life, Francis had to have part of one of his lungs removed.
Even though the operation allowed him to enjoy an active lifestyle, he would be more susceptible to respiratory infections during his later years as a result of his reduced lung capacity.
Francis suffered multiple lung-related illnesses in 2023.
In March, he complained of breathing difficulties and was taken to the hospital.
However, he recovered quickly after he received antibiotics for bronchitis, an inflammation of the airways in the lungs that is usually caused by an infection that causes inflammation of the airways.
Due to the flu and the resulting lung inflammation, he had to cancel a planned trip to the COP28 climate meeting in Dubai that November.
Young priest’s mental health battles with anxiety
As a young priest, Pope Francis saw a psychiatrist in Argentina.
According to him, he struggled with anxiety as a result of helping people flee the country during the country’s military dictatorship and helping them escape their homes.
During the dictatorship, when I had to hide people to save their lives, I had to deal with situations I didn’t know how to handle.
‘Imagine being hidden in a car with only a blanket covering you and going through three military checkpoints…the stress was immense.’
Francis said he saw the psychiatrist for about six months and found listening to Bach’s music helpful.
The pope was criticized at the time for not openly confronting Argentina’s murderous regime.
Pope Francis and the bishops of Argentina apologized for not protecting their faithful in October 2012.
Rumors of cancer and surgery on his colon
Francis underwent a six-hour procedure in 2021 to remove 13 inches (33 cm) of his colon, which is part of the large intestine, to address a painful bowel condition known as diverticulitis.
Small lumps or bulges can develop in the large intestine, which can cause problems such as abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, bloating, and blood in the feces.
Although most people develop these lumps as they age, they don’t always cause problems.
However, if these bulges become inflamed or infected, as was the case with Francis, patients may need surgery.
During his initial bout of surgery in July 2021, the Vatican was forced to deny ‘gossip’ that was circulating that cancer had been discovered during the operation.
As a result of the operation the surgeon who carried out the operation later confirmed there was no cancer detected during the procedure.
As a result of diverticulitis in 2023, Francis had to spend nine days in hospital to undergo surgery to repair an abdominal hernia, in which part of the body bulged out, causing a lump in the abdomen.
It took about three hours to complete that operation.
Some problems leave the Pontiff in a wheelchair and calling for tequila.
Throughout his life, Francis had suffered from sciatica, a chronic nerve condition that causes pain in the back, hips, and legs.
It is caused by the sciatic nerve, which runs from your lower back to your feet, becoming irritated or compressed due to irritation or compression.
In December 2020, he missed New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day services because of a flare-up.
A health problem caused the Pontiff to miss a significant religious event for the first time.
His knee also suffered a fracture in 2022 after he misstepped while an inflamed ligament caused him to fall.
He said he didn’t want surgery as he had suffered long-term side effects from anesthesia following the operation on his colon in 2021.
Instead, he used laser and magnet therapy and therapeutic injections to address his knee problem.
At one point, Francis was also reported as saying that he really needed some tequila for his knee pain.
In 2022, his mobility issues forced him to cancel trips to Lebanon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan.
As a result of these issues, the Pontiff began using a cane and wheelchair in the years before his death.
The pope is battered and bruised after a fall
In the months leading up to his death, Francis suffered several falls.
He suffered a large bruise on his face after falling and hitting his chin on a nightstand in December last year.
During the month of January last year, Francis took another tumble and injured his right arm in the process.
It was then shown that he was wearing a sling, although the Vatican indicated that it was more of a precaution than a necessity.
How pneumonia killed the Pope during his last illness
A slight fever and bronchitis first brought Francis to the hospital on February 14. He spent most of the previous few weeks in the hospital.
The infection was later determined to be polymicrobial – meaning that multiple types of viruses, bacteria, and fungi were involved.
A life-threatening pneumonia was diagnosed in both of his lungs on February 18, and he was hospitalized for a week.
In the days that followed, on February 21st, the Pontiff developed steroid-induced diabetes as a result of his treatment.
The next day, he is placed on assisted breathing to help keep him alive till the end of the day.
Francis’ condition then deteriorated further with some early signs of kidney failure, which resolved on February 26.
Medics occasionally need to insert special tools into his airways to remove mucus blockages during the following week.
After that, medics announced he was no longer in life-threatening danger from pneumonia on March 10.
After almost two weeks in stable condition, they said Francis could continue to recover at the Vatican after being discharged on March 23.
He stayed at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome for 38 days.
Before his death, Francis continued attending official events despite looking frail.