For much of the church’s history, the pope’s body was closely associated with the sanctity of his office, as the papal historian Agostino Paravicini Bagliani described in detail in his 1994 book “The Pope’s Body.” Sanctity is often bound up with mystery, and so the head of the church’s health was shrouded in secrecy until the past century.

According to a 900-year-old book in the Vatican, 'Judgement Day' may be upon us soon, and Pope Francis might be the last leader of the Church. View on euronews