When someone asks "what did the pope die of," they are usually looking for the specifics behind two very different, relatively recent moments in history: the death of Pope Benedict XVI in late 2022 or the long, public decline of Pope John Paul II in 2005. Both deaths were seismic events for the Vatican. But the medical reality of each was quite distinct. It wasn’t just "old age," though that’s the easy answer.
Actually, the Vatican is famously tight-lipped about medical charts until the very last second.
The Quiet End: What Did Pope Benedict XVI Die Of?
Pope Benedict XVI passed away on December 31, 2022. He was 95. Honestly, for a man who had been "retired" since 2013, he stayed remarkably sharp for a long time. But by the final week of December, things took a sharp turn.
Matteo Bruni, the Vatican spokesperson, kept the world updated with those classic, vaguely worded briefings. He mentioned a "worsening" due to "advanced age." That's Vatican-speak for a systemic failure. Specifically, sources within the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, where he lived, pointed toward kidney failure and respiratory complications as the primary drivers.
When you’re 95, your body just stops being able to bounce back from minor infections. He didn't have a sudden heart attack or a dramatic stroke. It was a slow fading. His last words, according to his longtime secretary Archbishop Georg Gänswein, were "Lord, I love you," spoken in Italian.
He died in his bed. It was peaceful.
One thing people forget is that Benedict lived nearly a decade longer than anyone expected when he resigned. His health was the very reason he stepped down in the first place, citing a lack of "strength of mind and body." He was a realist. He knew he couldn't handle the travel and the stress, so he chose a quiet life of study until his body finally reached its natural limit.
👉 See also: Why are US flags at half staff today and who actually makes that call?
The Public Suffering of Pope John Paul II
If Benedict’s death was a quiet sunset, John Paul II’s was a long, painful public stations of the cross.
What did the pope die of in 2005? The official cause of death was septic shock and irreversible cardiovascular collapse. But that's the clinical end of a much longer story involving Parkinson’s Disease.
Watching him in those final years was tough. You might remember the trembling hands or the way his speech became almost impossible to understand. By early 2005, he was struggling with breathing. He had a tracheotomy. He couldn't speak to the crowds in St. Peter’s Square, which was heartbreaking for a man known as "The Great Communicator."
The Final Medical Timeline
- February 2005: Hospitalized with flu-like symptoms and laryngospasm.
- March 2005: Struggles with a feeding tube (nasogastric tube) because he couldn't swallow.
- March 31, 2005: He develops a high fever caused by a urinary tract infection.
- The End: That infection led to sepsis.
Sepsis is brutal. It’s an extreme immune response to an infection that triggers widespread inflammation. For an 84-year-old with Parkinson’s, it was insurmountable. His organs began to fail one by one. He died on April 2, 2005, at 9:37 PM.
Unlike the more private death of Benedict, the world watched John Paul II die in real-time. Millions were gathered in the square below his window. It was a global cultural event.
Why the Vatican is Sometimes Vague
The Church has a complicated relationship with the health of the Pontiff. In the past, popes died and the world didn't know for days. Today, social media changed the game.
✨ Don't miss: Elecciones en Honduras 2025: ¿Quién va ganando realmente según los últimos datos?
However, they still prefer to use terms like "senile decay" or "advanced age" rather than listing every single medication or blood pressure reading. They want to maintain the dignity of the office. There’s also the theological angle—the Pope’s suffering is often framed as a participation in the suffering of Christ.
It’s not just a medical event; it’s a spiritual one.
Misconceptions and Conspiracy Theories
You’ve probably heard the rumors. Every time a pope dies, the internet goes wild.
Some people still insist John Paul I (who died in 1978 after only 33 days) was murdered. The official record says a heart attack (myocardial infarction). The "conspiracy" stems from the fact that no autopsy was performed. Back then, that was the norm for popes.
With Benedict and John Paul II, the transparency was much higher. There’s zero credible evidence of foul play. These were elderly men with well-documented, chronic health issues.
Understanding the Medical Terms
If you're looking at the death certificates, here is what the jargon actually means:
🔗 Read more: Trump Approval Rating State Map: Why the Red-Blue Divide is Moving
Septic Shock: This happens when your blood pressure drops to a life-threatening level after an infection. It was the "knockout punch" for John Paul II.
Cardiovascular Collapse: This is a fancy way of saying the heart stopped pumping blood to the rest of the body.
Renal Insufficiency: Often cited in Benedict’s case, this is when the kidneys can’t filter toxins anymore. It’s very common in patients over 90.
Looking Ahead: The Health of Pope Francis
Naturally, when people ask "what did the pope die of," they start looking at the current guy. Pope Francis is in his late 80s. He’s had his share of scares—colon surgery, respiratory infections, and that persistent knee pain that has him in a wheelchair or using a cane.
But he’s still going. He’s shown that a modern pope can be hospitalized and return to work, breaking some of the old "invincibility" myths the Vatican used to promote.
Actionable Insights for Tracking Vatican News
If you want to stay informed about the health of the Papacy without falling for clickbait or rumors, follow these steps:
- Check the Holy See Press Office: They are the only official source. If it’s not on Vatican News, it’s likely speculation.
- Look for "L’Osservatore Romano": This is the Vatican’s daily newspaper. It provides the most formal record of the Pope's activities.
- Differentiate between "Stable" and "Improving": In Vatican-speak, "stable" can sometimes mean "not getting better, but not dead yet." "Improving" is what you want to see.
- Understand the "Sede Vacante": This is the period between a pope’s death and the election of a new one. During this time, the Camerlengo (a specific Cardinal) runs the temporal affairs of the Church.
The deaths of popes mark the end of eras. Whether it was the systemic failure of Benedict XVI or the septic shock of John Paul II, these events remind us that even the most powerful spiritual leaders are subject to the same biological realities as everyone else.