There’s a telling anecdote from St. John Paul II's pontificate that illustrates how Pope Leo XIV and his American style of governing have changed the Vatican and the way it handles papal health crises.
The Polish pope, 84 at the time, was back at Gemelli hospital battling an acute respiratory infection, breathing problems and the worsening effects on his larynx of Parkinson’s disease, which had made speaking nearly impossible and breathing difficult.
