Truth Sifting to the Top: Vatican Answers Rumors that Pope Francis is Sick

The truth about Pope Francis’ health is sifting itself to the top.

“There is no sickness whatsoever,” the Reverend Thomas Rosica, said in reply to a CNN question about the Holy Father’s health. “If there was, we would be open about that and ask people to pray for him.”

I suppose I could go on and on about the details, but it turns out that Pope Francis is just taking a mini vacation by following a lighter schedule during July. This is the same thing he did last year. It is, as I have said, more than his predecessors did. They took full vacations in the country during July at Castel Gandolfo.

Not only is Pope Francis not sick, he’s added a new trip to South Korea for Asian Youth Day. This will be August 13-18.

The pope’s regular workday runs from 7 am mass until around 8 pm. How many 77-year-olds can do that?

The moral of this story is simple: Don’t let the internet/media blather keep you in an emotional dither. Sometimes things really do happen. But most of what they try to get you worked up about is slow news day speculation. If you’re in an airplane and it crashes, you’ve gotta move and get out of that thing. But if you’re sitting home on your sofa watching talking-head speculation on tv, the best thing you can do is wait and see. Let the truth sift itself to the top. It will.

From the DailyNews:

Even Popes get pooped sometimes.

As rumors swirled about the Pope’s declining health, a Vatican spokesman soundly squashed reports that Francis had become ill.

“There is no sickness whatsoever,” the Rev. Thomas Rosica, a consultant to the Vatican press office, told CNN. “If there was, we would be open about that and asking people to pray for him.”

The speculations emerged after observers noticed that the pontiff had canceled his weekly general audiences in Saint Peter’s Square during the month of July. He is also not planning on inviting guests to his early morning Masses during both July and August.

Although it seems like a lighter schedule, the Pope’s summer calendar is similar to last year’s, the Catholic News Service reports. In fact, he’s adding on a trip to South Korea for Asian Youth Day from Aug. 13-18.