Pope Francis’ health has come under increasing scrutiny since his predecessor, Benedict XVI, became the first pope to resign as head of the Vatican in 2013 due to ill health.
Benedict died on December 31, 2022, and Francis has since been open about the prospect of following his predecessor’s example and stepping down as pope should his health continue to deteriorate.
The hospitalization of the 86-year-old in March 2023 with a bout of pneumonia has revived speculation about the possibility that Francis will soon resign.
Here, MailOnline summarizes the litany of health problems Pope Francis has faced over the years.
Pope Francis waves as he arrives in a wheelchair during the audience for the participants of the plenary session of the International Union of Superiors General at the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican on May 5, 2022
Breathing problems and lung surgery
Francis was taken to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on March 29 after a weekly general audience after struggling to leave the event and having trouble breathing.
It was reported that he was struggling with a respiratory infection before doctors determined he had contracted a mild case of pneumonia.
Medical staff said he would remain in hospital for several days and receive proper treatment, though they hoped to discharge him before the Vatican’s overcrowded Easter schedule.
But Francis is particularly prone to respiratory infections, due to the complications of a serious ailment he contracted in his twenties.
When the then Jorge Bergoglio was 21, he developed pleurisy – the inflammation of the tissue between the lungs and ribcage.
The condition was so severe that he almost died and the doctors were forced out removing several lung cysts and a small portion of his upper right lung, according to the pope biographer Austen Ivereigh.
A lengthy recovery process followed, which affected Francis’ voice – he is often heard talking in a whisper.
The pope said he had made a full recovery from pleurisy, but his reduced lung capacity put him at greater risk for chronic respiratory disease.
Pope Francis helped get into his car at the end of the weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, Wednesday, March 29, 2023, before being taken to hospital
Digestive tract problems
Pope Francis has had several examples of this diverticulitis, a condition that can infect or inflame the colon.
In July 2021, the condition hospitalized him and doctors were forced to perform a hemicolectomy — an operation that removes one side of the colon — because severe inflammation and scar tissue had narrowed his intestinal tract.
The three-hour operation was a success and relieved the stricture in his bowel. There were concerns that Francis would struggle to recover due to his advanced age, but he recovered quickly and did not have to miss major events due to the Vatican’s abbreviated schedule in July and August.
Eating foods rich in fiber, plus drinking plenty of fluids, can be helpful in preventing such conditions from recurring, although as many as 60-70 percent of people who have had a bout of diverticulitis may see it return come.
Early 2023, Pope Francis said the condition had returned and he was putting on weight as a result – though he added he wasn’t too worried.
There have been no suggestions that he will be forced to have another surgery on the remains of his colon.
Knee problems
One enduring condition that Francis struggles with is chronic knee pain.
He has lost a lot of mobility and is now rarely seen in public without a mobility aid such as a cane or a wheelchair.
He told Italian media in 2022 that he was suffering from inflamed ligaments and the Catholic News Agency reported later that year that he had torn ligaments in his right knee.
He also suffered minor fractures to his kneecap after a fall later in the year.
His reduced mobility and the increasing severity of his knee pain have led the former jet-set pope to cancel several trips.
In 2022, Francis canceled a July trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, sparking major speculation about the timeline for his resignation.
Pope Francis walks with a cane to reach his seat when he arrives to hold the weekly General Audience on June 22, 2022
Francis told Reuters he preferred not to have surgery on his knee because he didn’t want a repeat of long-term negative side effects of anesthesia that he experienced after the 2021 hemicolectomy.
He said he was “a little embarrassed” to use a wheelchair because of his ailing knees, but added that getting old is just a part of life one has to accept.
‘I have less physical resistance, the knee [problem] was a physical humiliation, even though the recovery is going well,” he said in comments to the media.
“The strength of the body fails and fails us, even though our heart does not cease to desire. One must then learn to purify desire: be patient, choose what you want to ask of the body and of life.
‘When we are old we cannot do the same things as when we were young: the body has a different pace and we have to listen to the body and accept its limits. We have them all. I also have to use a walking stick now.’
Sciatica
The pope has complained about sciatica on numerous occasions, telling journalists as far back as 2013 that he experienced significant pain as a result of the nerve problem.
Francis has suffered from sciatica for several years; he talked about it at length with journalists at an in-flight press conference returning from a trip to Brazil in July 2013.
“Sciatica is very painful, very painful! I don’t wish it on anyone,” he said of the condition.
Sciatica occurs when the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back to the feet, is irritated or compressed, either due to direct injury or another condition.
Patients often experience severe pain in their lower back and legs, and may also experience numbness of the feet and legs.
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