Vatican Acknowledges Pope had Pacemaker

The Vatican is acknowledging for the first time that Pope Benedict XVI has had a pacemaker for years and that its battery was replaced a few months ago in secret.

Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said Benedict had the pacemaker installed "a long time" before he became pope in 2005. He called the latest medical procedure "routine."

It was the first time the Vatican has mentioned a papal pacemaker.

Italian daily Il Sole 24 said the pope had the pacemaker procedure less than three months ago in a Rome hospital and did not miss any public appearances.

Benedict is resigning on Feb. 28 because he says he has become too infirm to handle the burdens of the papacy. He will become the first pope to step down in six centuries.

Meanwhile the Rev. Federico Lombardi said Tuesday that "the pope will surely say absolutely nothing about the process of the election."

"He will not interfere in any way," Lombardi told reporters at a Vatican briefing.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
 

Tweet

Related Stories:

• Pope Washes Feet of Young Detainees in Ritual
• Delicate Diplomacy: Pope Meets Argentine President
• Vatican Defends Pope Against What it Calls Anti-Clerical Campaign
• VIDEO: St. Thomas Students Celebrate Pope Francis
• New Style of Papacy: Pope Francis Pays Hotel Bill
• Minnesotans Pray for Pope Francis at Basilica of Saint Mary
• Vatican: Francis Won't Visit Benedict Thursday
• INTERVIEW: UST Student in St. Peter Square for Pope Announcement
• Local Reaction to the Election of Pope Francis
• WEB EXTRA: UST Expert Discusses Pope Francis