Pope Francis picked a new personal doctor ahead of his visit to Cuba and the United States. Dr. Fabrizio Soccorsi is taking over as the Pope's personal physician, the Vatican announced on Aug. 8. The Pope's former doctor, Dr. Patrizio Polisca, a cardiologist, will remain to look after Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI.
Soccorsi will be with the 78-year-old Pope in the U.S. and Cuba on Sept. 19 to 28. The Vatican said that Soccorsi has a specialty in internal medicine and previously was the chairman of the hepatology department at the San Camillio Forlanini Hospital in Rome. He also taught immunology at the Rome Medical School.
Pope Francis, who has had a part of his lung removed, excused himself from tradition by not naming the new director of the Vatican health care services as his physician, Fox News Latino reported.
Meanwhile, Americans are looking forward to the Pope's visit to the U.S. on which he will tackle issues on immigration, hunger, and the environment.
Pope Francis will give his vivid standpoint on critical issues that people want him to address, said Papademetriou, a former senior policy adviser on immigration and refugee issues to the U.S. Catholic bishops. Particularly, the Pope will address illegal immigration but he prefers calling it undocumented, unauthorized, or unregulated mass migration.
The head of the Catholic Church will enter challenging arguments and hot waters without hesitation, Papademetriou added. The real issue is the root of immigration; poverty and persecution. Some people have nowhere else to go to create a life for themselves, Catholic News reported.