- Feb 5, 2002
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ROME – A new pope is elected with a history of health issues, who tells people early on he doesn’t expect to have a lengthy papacy. He reigns longer than anyone expected, but eventually faces a health crisis that requires a serious surgery, and which leads many people to assume the end is finally at hand.
In fact, however, the surgery is a success, and he ends up sitting on the Throne of Peter another four years, which is a full presidential term in the United States. Indeed, so remarkable is his longevity that Vatican insiders joke: “We thought we were electing a Holy Father, instead we elected an Eternal Father!”
That might easily be a description of the 86-year-old Pope Francis, who right now is recovering from his second surgery in two years at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.
In reality, however, it’s a reference to Pope Leo XIII, who was elected in 1878 and served until his death in 1903 at the age of 93, making his the fourth-longest papacy in history behind St. Peter, Pius IX and John Paul II.
Continued below.
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In fact, however, the surgery is a success, and he ends up sitting on the Throne of Peter another four years, which is a full presidential term in the United States. Indeed, so remarkable is his longevity that Vatican insiders joke: “We thought we were electing a Holy Father, instead we elected an Eternal Father!”
That might easily be a description of the 86-year-old Pope Francis, who right now is recovering from his second surgery in two years at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.
In reality, however, it’s a reference to Pope Leo XIII, who was elected in 1878 and served until his death in 1903 at the age of 93, making his the fourth-longest papacy in history behind St. Peter, Pius IX and John Paul II.
Continued below.
If you’re worried about Pope Francis’s health, consider Pope Leo XIII
Leo XIII is a cautionary tale for anyone tempted to get overly carried away by Pope Francis’s current health struggles.
