“I do not miss Argentina, its problems afflict me”: exclusive declarations of Pope Francis to Nelson Castro

An image of Nelson Castro’s interview with Pope Francis at the Santa Marta Residence.

In a work that questions one of the best kept secrets of the Vatican throughout its history, TN shows in this note a preview of the journalist’s new book Nelson castro entitled: “The health of the popes. Medicine, intrigue and faith. From León XIII to Francisco ”.

As the papacy is a theocratic monarchy and the pontiffs die in power, their illnesses play an important role in the performance of the post. This is why speculation, rumors and palace intrigues are on the rise world.

// The hard wing of the JxC summons the # 27F for the VIP vaccination and the government prepares a mobilization in favor of Alberto Fernández

Then, TN.com.ar anticipates some of the main excerpts from Nelson Castro’s new publication, which will hit bookstores in March:

“Is it true that you have only one lung? “. The Archbishop of Buenos Aires denied He explained that in 1957, when he was 21, he had surgery to remove the upper lobe of his right lung because of three cysts and that since then that lung has been functioning normally. Without alternatives “.

– Nelson Castro: “You suffered from a delicate situation in the gall bladder. In the same way?; Francisco: This happened when he was Provincial Superior of the Jesuits. It was lunch time and I was passing the soup. Suddenly I had a sharp, very intense pain in the back it crippled me. For an instant I couldn’t move. I had to stop doing the homework I was doing and sit down. Faced with such pain, I decided to take pain reliever. I thought it was a muscle problem. But the truth is that the hours have passed and the pain has not subsided ”.

– Francisco: “Given this fact and the persistence of the clinical picture, the surgeon informed me that I had to operate urgently. And that was not only what he told me, but also that the operation was very delicate and risky because he didn’t know what he was going to find when he opened the abdomen. I understood that the gravity of the situation left no alternative. So I told him to continue. At that time, I trusted in God, who helped me face the operation with absolute serenity. I later learned that the intervention was really difficult and risky, because what I had was a gallbladder gangrene, which luckily was taken on time. ‘An extra day and his condition would have become extremely serious, ”the surgeon explained to me later. Fortunately, the postoperative period went without complications and I was able to recover completely ”.

– Nelson Castro: “Never had a cardiac problem, it’s not like that?;

– Francisco: “I had a heart problem on a Saturday when I was going to open a marathon at Villa 21. It had to be for the year. 2004. That day, I felt very tired. After lunch, I did a few things. I had a coffee and after half an hour another. Then, in a bus on line 70, I went to the Villa. When I arrived, Father Pepe [José María Di Paola] He said to me: “You are pale; What’s wrong?’. “I don’t know,” I said, “I feel tired. Under the circumstances, the doctor from the first aid room which is next to Villa parish was there. “Wait, I’ll take your blood pressure,” said the young doctor, who had overheard the conversation. The pressure was good, despite which he gave me a pill of I don’t know what medicine. We opened the Olympics and then I stayed chatting with Father Pepe. Then the doctor said to me: “ Listen, Monsignor, why not take advantage of this interval until the marathoners complete the whole circuit to go to the hospital in Penna, where we can better examine him and we will also do a series of analyzes? ‘ I accepted. When we got to the hospital, the director was waiting for me. They grabbed my eyelashes and they wouldn’t let me out ”.

– Nelson Castro: “Have you ever been psychoanalyzed?”

– Francisco: “I have never done psychoanalysis. Being provincial of the Jesuits, in the terrible days of the dictatorship, in which I had to take hidden people to get them out of the country and thus save their lives, I had to deal with situations that I did not know how to face. I then went to see a lady – a wonderful woman – who had helped me read some novice psychological tests. So, for six months, I consulted her once a week ”.

– Nelson Castro: “You have spoken to me several times about your neuroses. How well are you aware of this ?; Francisco: “Neuroses must be bait them mate. Not only that, you also have to stroke them. They are the companions of the person throughout his life ”.

– Nelson Castro: “Do you miss Argentina?”;

– Francisco: “No, I don’t miss her. I lived there for 76 years. What hurts me are their problems.

– Nelson Castro: “Do you need or have you ever needed medication to sleep?”;

– Francisco: “Fortunately, never. I go to bed every night at nine o’clock. I read for an hour until ten o’clock. At this point, I turn off the light and quickly fall asleep. I sleep straight up four in the morning. My alarm is set but I still wake up three minutes before it goes off. You can see that the biological clock is working very well for me ”.

// The ring that had been stolen from Carlos Menem appeared

– Nelson Castro: “What’s wrong with your spine ?; Francisco: “I have a narrow intervertebral space between the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae, and between this and the sacrum. I’ll tell you an anecdote: during the physical check-up they gave me when I took the papacy, I had x-rays of the whole spine, which the Vatican doctor took to a very prestigious specialist. . Seeing them, he said: “It is very serious. The patient needs intensive treatment based on kinesiology, postural rehabilitation and gymnastics. I understand that we are talking about a person who is Wheelchair'”.

– Nelson Castro: “How do you imagine his death?”; Francisco: “To be pope, whether in office or emeritus. And in Rome. I will not be going back to Argentina. Addendum”.