Here's the trick - Pope very sick but not in hopital = no life support

[Jersey Devil]

Despite all the talk about how the Church and the Pope thinks life support is something that should always be employed, the Pope, now in critical condition, remains in the Vatican and not in a hospital.

If his condition worsens, do they have ventilators, etc. in the Vatican? I bet not. No ventilators means no life support for the Pope. The equivalent of plausible deniability. We would have hooked him up if we could have, but...

[crispini]

1. Yeah, I bet they DO have that stuff in the Vatican.

From what I hear the top floor of the Vatican's set up almost like a hospital....

[Benhurst]

2. I think it's been said he's on a feeding tube.

And I would be surprised if the Vatican doesn't have pretty good medical care available; but I don't know.

[ClintonTyree]

3. He IS to be kept alive by any means necessary they say....................

and you can bet there's a fully functional OR at the Vatican. They don't leave anything to chance when it comes to the "holy father".

[LiberalEsto]

4. I don't wish it on him, but I wonder

what would happen if the Pope ended up spending 15 years on a feeding tube? Would he still be in charge of the Church? Would they appoint a regent? It raises some tricky questions.


I hope he and everyone who is dying, especially people and troops in Iraq, pass peacefully and without pain.

[Book Lover]

5. Are you crazy? They

have *everything* within Vatican City, including medical facilities. Mr. Wojty³a will be well cared for until his passing. This angry ex-Catholic atheist hopes he will be allowed the dignity of passing in his own bed and not in a hospital.

[Be Brave]

6. Actually, I've heard news reports say that the Vatican itself has

excellent medical facilities. And that the Pope has a feeding tube attached, but not a permanent, surgically implanted one like the one Terri had.

[catzies]

7. I heard that too, yesterday. for all practical purposes, there IS a

hospital in the Vatican -- population: 1.

[trof]

9. Yeah, we would wish for medical facilities like they have.

State of the art, I betcha.

[tammywammy]

8. Yes, I read that he has a feeding tube that goes through the nose

As opposed to straight to the stomach.

[incapsulated]

10. He is already on a ventilator

As well as the feeding tube. But he "doesn't like the hospital", so if he is dying, yes, he will have the choice to die right in his bed.