Vatican dismisses French newspaper report that pope is in poor health

Published: 2008-04-28

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Vatican has dismissed a French newspaper report suggesting that Pope Benedict XVI is suffering from poor health. "Certainly the pope is a man of 81 years, but he is well and is carrying out all his tasks, as everyone can see on live TV," Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said April 26. Father Lombardi said the newspaper report was all the more surprising because it came immediately after the pope's successful six-day trip to the United States. "This was a demanding visit, long and tiring, in which he carried out all his commitments brilliantly without giving the slightest indication of uncertainty and without having to modify or reduce his program at all," Father Lombardi said. An article published April 25 in Le Figaro said the pope looked fatigued at times during his U.S. visit. It's no secret, the newspaper said, that the pope has a "fragile heart."

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