On Wednesday afternoon something unprecedented happened during Francis’s pontificate. Dr. Sergio Alfieri, head of the complex digestive surgery operating unit at the Policlinico Gemelli hospital in Rome, stood in front of the television cameras and offered a detailed press conference to explain the three-hour intervention to which the Pope underwent to solve an abdominal hernia that threatened to obstruct his intestine.

It is the first time that a doctor, Bergoglio’s surgeon, spoke to the press during this pontificate. He not only explained the intervention, but also clarified that the Pontiff does not suffer from “other illnesses” and that he is completely cured of the colon problem for which 33 centimeters of intestine were removed two years ago. This Saturday the ceremony was repeated, and the doctor assured that “the Pope has not had any kind of heart problem or suffered a heart attack.” He is improving, Alfieri reported, he is fed a semi-liquid diet, he has no fever and the tests are good, but on medical advice he will not perform the Angelus this Sunday but will pray it privately from his hospital room.

This way of informing, with press conferences and daily communiqués that include medical information, is a novelty for a pontiff who has always been very reserved on health issues. It is something that did not happen either during his coronavirus vaccination or during the admission that took place at the end of March for acute pneumonia, which at first was defined by the Vatican as scheduled check-ups that did not convey the seriousness of the matter.

On this occasion, the Vatican wanted to bet on greater transparency. There is a change in attitude, whether motivated by the hospital communication team or by the Holy See itself, which is surely destined to put an end to rumors that the Pope is sicker than he seems and could be thinking of a possible resignation of the pontificate.

“In the last two years there have been persistent rumors from a group of cardinals that the Pope was much sicker and suffering from cancer, and some thought he might die before this summer. The people around him are aware of this and have decided to be more transparent to stop these speculations”, explains John Allen, who has been covering the Vatican for more than 25 years with the Catholic portal Crux, and who remembers how during the hospitalizations of Juan Pablo II there was much more access to medical information. “They have wanted to go against these rumors of cancer that we already know since he underwent colon surgery in 2021 – agrees the Vatican member of La Croix Loup Besmond de Senneville – and that is why a doctor speaks, who is much more credible. “My question is if they will keep it once the Pope is really bad,” he adds.

Although it is a step forward, transparency is still not complete. On Tuesday, when Francisco underwent a CT scan that convinced the doctors of the need to operate on him, there was also talk of scheduled check-ups, and the statement came several hours after it was announced by the Italian media. “If he were the president of the United States, we would have three press conferences a day and none of this is happening, Catholics in the world have the right to know how their leader is doing and if he is capable of keeping up with his obligations,” Allen points out.