Ailing pope's obstinacy a blessing or a curse?

by Ella IDE

Pope Francis, in hospital with pneumonia, is propelled by an energy and stubborn drive that has taken him far -- but could yet prove to be his undoing.

The pontiff was admitted to hospital last week after several days in which he was seen struggling with his breathing and appeared pale and bloated.

Yet despite admitting he was ill, the 88-year-old worked up until the last minute, even presiding over an outdoor mass in a cold wind.

An initial bronchitis has since developed into pneumonia in both lungs -- begging the question as to whether he should have been forced into taking bed rest or even been admitted to hospital earlier.

Easier said than done, for the Argentine pope is open about both his work ethic -- and about wanting to keep doctors at arm's length.

"The doctor and I are both better off when we are in our own homes!" he joked in an interview published in a 2021 book on papal health.

"Let's just say that I am not a big iatrophile," he told author Nelson Castro, using a term to describe someone who is fond of doctors.

Francis, who has been plagued in recent years by health issues, from knee and hip pain to an inflamed colon, is prone to respiratory infections after having part of his right lung cut away when he was 21.

Asked if he is a good patient, he told Castro, "Yes I am, but I have limits" -- something doctors found out early on.

After a check-up following his election as pope in March 2013 revealed a suspicious-looking shadow on his healthy lung, Francis refused point-blank to have an MRI with dye, telling the radiologist he was allergic to iodine.

"Surprised by my categorical refusal, the radiologist asked the Vatican doctor: 'What are we going to do, then?'" Francis told Castro.

"To which the doctor replied: 'Listen, given the character of this pope, don't be surprised if he gets up and leaves. It's better not to do anything to him for now.'

"They must have thought I had quite a character!" he quipped.

- 'Very stubborn' -

The pope got a new personal doctor in 2021 after his previous one died, though a source said he was later quietly dismissed.

The head of the Catholic Church may not be keen on doctors, but he has credited nurses with saving his life on two separate occasions.

He went on to promote one of them to be his "personal health care assistant" in 2022.

That same year, the head of football club Atletico Madrid's medical service was summoned to help Francis with his painful knee.

Jose Maria Villalon said the pontiff, who was suffering from arthritis, was "very nice" but also "very stubborn", adding: "There are surgical options which he does not want to undergo."

Francis has said he does not want surgery on his knee, quipping that a good painkiller would be a shot of tequila.

That stubbornness has meant that, while he does religiously nap every day, Francis has refused to cut down a packed schedule despite his advancing age and a couple of recent falls.

"His refrain to those who advise him to be more prudent has always been, 'I did not accept being pope so I could rest,'" Vatican reporter Iacopo Scaramuzzi wrote Wednesday in the Repubblica daily.

In hospital, Francis appears largely to be following doctors orders, though the Vatican said he is alternating rest with bouts of work.

Jesuit theologian Antonio Spadaro, who is close to Francis, told the Corriere della Sera daily the pope "has never allowed himself an absolute break, he hasn't taken a holiday since the 1970s".

But he said the pontiff's drive was down to his "extraordinary vital energy", which could serve him well as he battles the pneumonia.

"He is not a person who lets himself go, he is not a resigned man. And that is a very positive element," he said.

© Agence France-Presse