The Pope Leo XIV will be hospitalized on Tuesday at the Polyclinic Gemelli in Rome to undergo an operation to remove a lung nodule. This Roman hospital is once again the protagonist of a papacy, as it happened in the last months of life of Francis and in the long papacy of John Paul II.
From today, all attention will be focused on this hospital, where John Paul II was hospitalized ten times. In 1996, the Pope joked saying: “The Vatican One is in St. Peter’s Square, the Vatican Two is in Castel Gandolfo, the Vatican Three has become the Polyclinic Gemelli”.
The Gemelli, a hospital with papal history
Francis and John Paul II have been the only popes to be treated at the Gemelli. Benedict XVI was never hospitalized and only visited his brother who was admitted there. Previously, popes were treated within the Vatican, even installing an operating room. Pius XII, for example, died in the residence of Castel Gandolfo.
The attack carried out by the Turkish terrorist Ali Agca in St. Peter’s Square on May 13, 1981 forced the Vatican to think about the need to have a hospital structure prepared at any moment for the popes. A part of the 10th floor of the hospital was reserved for this purpose.
The papal apartment of the Gemelli
Popes have an exclusive apartment in the hospital, simple and austere, with white walls. The apartment has a room with a TV, a bathroom and a small living room with a sofa for the pontiff’s companions and security personnel to rest.
In case of hospitalization, a strict security protocol is established on the floor and at the hospital entrance. The floor also has a small chapel with a prie-dieu, the icons of the Via Crucis and a crucifix.
The medical leave of a pope
When a pope is hospitalized, many wonder what happens in the Vatican. In reality, the pope is only replaced when the “sede vacante” is declared, that is, the situation that arises when the pontiff dies or resigns.
Before being hospitalized, the pope appointed the new dean of the College of Cardinals, the Filipino Luis Antonio Tagle, who has the task of inviting all the cardinals to Rome for the Conclave and organizing it. In case of hospitalization, the usual practice is to suspend the main activities until the recovery, but the pope can continue to take decisions and sign documents while recovering in the hospital.
Credits: robertocavada.com
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