Pope John Paul II always has regarded suffering as a way to obtain grace granted by God and therefore does not complain when it comes his way.
But the sufferings that seem to accompany advancing age have been so visible and prolonged for the pope as to raise questions about his ability to continue doing his job. Those concerns have not been dispelled by the successful removal last Tuesday of his inflamed appendix.
A more serious concern remains: The possibility that the pope, 76, has Parkinson’s disease. A neurological disorder, it is characterized by tremor, slowness of movements and, from time to time, a masklike face–all observable in the pope in the last year.
At his last public appearance before surgery, a beatification ceremony in St. Peter’s Square, the pope’s left hand trembled violently and uncontrollably.
The Vatican has attempted to draw a veil over this problem, for if the pope does have Parkinson’s disease, the implications for the future of his pontificate and the direction of the Roman Catholic Church as it approaches the third millennium of Christianity could be serious.
The New York Times reported in Sunday editions that some Vatican officials indicate in private conversations that the pope has a form of Parkinson’s, and one was quoted as saying that an announcement confirming the pope’s ailment “could be coming shortly.”
Those afflicted with the disease may be able to function for many years, but some mental changes, including depression and features of dementia, are not infrequent.
This is uncharted territory for the Vatican. Nothing in canon law makes any provision for a situation in which a pope becomes unable to function permanently or for long periods.
Rumors circulated in Rome last week that John Paul has given his secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, a letter of resignation to be used in case he should become incapacitated. One knowledgeable church source doubts that is true.
“His personality is such that he will not say, `I am the vicar of Christ until next Tuesday,’ ” he said. “He will die with his boots on. The best thing for the church would be that he dies while he is still a strong pope.”
This source suggested that if the pope’s condition should deteriorate markedly, there would be a “reshuffling of power and influence in the Vatican.”
If the pope became unable to function, he said, some kind of regency may develop, with the College of Cardinals distributing many of the pope’s responsibilities among themselves. “There would be a fairly passive maintenance of church administration until there was a new pope,” he said.
Two areas exist in which the powers of a pope cannot be delegated: The appointment of bishops and pronouncements on doctrine. The total incapacitation of a pope could paralyze the normal workings of the church.
“I am sure they are giving a lot of thought to that in the Vatican,” said one church official in Rome.
One of the pope’s close collaborators, while not confirming he has Parkinson’s disease, says his tremor and his difficulty in walking are not a source of worry because “none of that touches the mental lucidity of the pontiff.. . . The pope is lucid and has a very good memory.”
Cardinal Rosalio Castillo Lara also suggested, in an interview with the Rome newspaper La Repubblica, that John Paul could continue to function fully even from a wheelchair.
Another prelate suggested that the pope, the greatest globetrotter in Vatican history, would keep up his heavy schedule of travels as long as he is able.
“If his schedule were dependent on his fatigue level or his health, he would have cut back long ago,” he said. “He will travel, and if he dies en route he will be perfectly happy with that. I think he wants to die that way. He has a clear apostolic mission.”
The pope has expressed an earnest desire to lead the church into the third millennium. If he survives, he would be 80 in the year 2000, and he plans to preside over a Holy Year, or Jubilee, when millions of Catholic pilgrims will descend on Rome and the Vatican from all over the world.
If the pope should become gradually incapacitated in coming years, one source predicted “more and more machinations” within the church administration, involving possible successors and their various supporters. Any discussion of the succession is almost irrelevant because much depends on how long the pope lives.
Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, 68, the archbishop of Milan, is a current favorite among the Italian clergy. But his chances probably would diminish greatly if Pope John Paul II were to live until Martini was well into his 70s.
Several sources cited growing sentiment among cardinals that the next pope should be an Italian. But even that could change by the time cardinals meet to elect the successor to John Paul.
Their choices sometimes are predictable, as when Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini was elected as Pope Paul VI. But the men who became John XXIII and John Paul I were surprise choices, and there has not been a more surprising one in this century than the election of Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla as Pope John Paul II.
PONTIFF’S HEALTH SINCE 1981
The removal of Pope John Paul II’s appendix last week joins a list of illnesses that doctors have treated since he was shot in 1981. When the pontiff, now 76, did not celebrate Christmas mass in 1995, questions regarding his condition increased. Some speculate that the pope’s tremor in his left hand is a symptom of Parkinson’s disease, but the Vatican will not discuss the condition.
MAY 13, 1981
Gunshot wound
Mehmet Ali Agca fires two bullets into the pope’s abdomen in St. Peter’s Square. Doctors repair a deeply lacerated colon and remove 22 inches of intestine. He also sustains injuries to his right shoulder and a finger of his left hand where the bullets exited.
JUNE 20, 1981
Virus
Pope returns to hospital for treatment of a viral infection that probably resulted from the emergency blood transfusion he received after he was shot.
AUG. 5, 1981
Colostomy reversal
Doctors reverse the temporary colostomy performed after he was shot.
JULY 15, 1992
Precancerous tumor
Doctors remove an orange-sized, precancerous tumor from the pope’s colon, and also remove his gall bladder.
NOV. 11, 1993
Bone fracture
Pope fractures shoulder joint and dislocates his shoulder when he trips over the hem of his vestments at an appearance at the Apostolic Palace. Doctors immobilize his arm and shoulder in a sling for four weeks.
APRIL 28, 1994
Bone fracture
Pope fractures his right femur after slipping in his apartment bathroom. Doctors replace part of the fractured bone with a prosthesis.
DEC. 25, 1995
Nausea
Pope does not celebrate Christmas mass for the first time since he became pope in 1978. He cuts short his Christmas message in St. Peter’s Square. Minutes later, he reappears and says, “Even the pope has weaknesses…”
AUG. 15, 1996
Abdominal sickness
Pope cancels morning mass after he is transported to a hospital because of illness.
OCT. 8, 1996
Appendicitis
After the several bouts of abdominal sickness, doctors remove the pope’s appendix.
Chicago Tribune
