Why does the Vatican share details about the health of the pope from secretion to oxygen?

All for the first time.

But the term “large amount of secretions” in the Vatican official update on Pope Francis? This detail may be surprising even for those who don’t know how taboo it is to openly discuss the health of the pope in history.

As the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, the Pope is a respected spiritual figure. Talking about his earthly health is blasphemy.

French Catholic media media lacroix International noted during another hospital stay at Francis: “Understanding the Pope’s health problems is part of the Vatican tradition.

However, in the latest news on Monday, the Vatican Media Office wrote: “Today, the Holy Father introduced two episodes of acute respiratory insufficiency due to the major accumulation of proppant mucus and the subsequent bronchospasm.

“So, two bronchoscopy were performed and a lot of secretions were required.”

Since then, the Pope has fought against double pneumonia at the Jegilly Hospital in Rome since February 14, similar daily updates have been made every day. The Press Office shared the press office when the Pope had a fever, how his kidneys worked, and his white blood count. It provides details such as the Pope's use of high flow oxygen and his need for blood transfusions.

“These are very specific details we have never had in the past,” said David Perlich, a Vatican analyst at CBC.

“I was surprised by the level of candidness and the level of detail.”

So, why change?

A new level of transparency

Perrich explained that transparency is certainly new, even for Francis, people have long viewed health as a private issue.

The New York Times noted that the Vatican historically operates in a more opaque way, tending to be confused. For example, stomach cancer, which suffered at least eight months of John XXIII, was revealed only after his death in 1963.

Pope John Paul II's Pope ran for years from 1978 to 2005, before the Vatican finally confirmed that he had Parkinson's disease in 2003. On February 25, 2005, the morning after John Paul II's tracheotomy, the Vatican issued a statement saying he was breathing and eating well and enjoying breakfast including 10 Biscotti. He died more than a month later.

“The Vatican is now maintaining a very delicate balance with the Pope's health message,” Pellic said.

“On the one hand, they want to respect the privacy and dignity of an elderly person in the hospital. On the other hand, there is an acknowledgement that as the leader of more than one billion Roman Catholics in the world, and as well as the world's famous people, people must be curious about the health of the pope.”

Information in the Age of False Information

Perridge said you will receive rumors and speculation if you don’t post accurate information.

When Francis was first hospitalized, various reports (incorrectly) had a lot to Francis' health. They enjoyed their lives in the age of chat groups, conspiracy theories and internet memes – not to mention the long-term Roman fixation on the Pope and possibly inherited him.

On February 21, Catholic news website Crux reported that several top pope aides were opposing rumors of Francis' death or resignation and assured people on Italian TV that “what is said is exactly what is happening.”

So, this transparency about his health actually makes Francis more dignified, even depending on information about his “secrets” (Pelic thinks it is actually an Italian translation issue).

“Because they are sharing information, there is more dignity for his illness and a very sick man. The cruelty of gossip and guessing doesn't exist.”