Is the Pope already dead?

So it started a few days ago as just another ‘conspiracy theory” and it swirled around Pope Francis, the current pope as today 1st March 2025. Some people suggest he may already be dead, with his public appearances possibly fabricated via CGI, holograms, or actors. This speculation has intensified with his recent hospitalization in Rome, reported on February 26, 2025, for influenza-like symptoms following a bronchitis diagnosis.

Now initially I dismissed this but then things started changing.

Six days ago we were told that Pope Francis was seriously ill with double pneumonia.

What does that mean?

“Double pneumonia,” also called bilateral pneumonia, means both lungs are infected. When things are worse, you might hear “multi-lobar,” meaning multiple parts of your lungs are infected. In pneumonia, the lung sacs where air is exchanged, called alveoli, become inflamed and filled with pus and fluid. This can cause your blood oxygen to go down and might cause you to need breathing support of oxygen or, in severe cases, mechanical support on a ventilator. Symptoms most often include cough, sputum production, shortness of breath, and fever. Pleurisy, or pain when you breathe, is common. Older people might be too weak to have much of a cough or fever, or just have a new and unexplained confusion or become less alert.

The pope has underlying lung diseases that already increase his risk of pneumonia. He had part of a lung removed for infection in 1957 and a previous hospitalisation for pneumonia in 2023. Pope Francis has asthmatic bronchitis—recurrent bronchitis triggered by allergies.

The suggestion was that he was gravely ill.

But within 48 hours we got this.

There has been a 'slight improvement' in his health, he resumes work, but despite improvement doctors decline to decide on prognosis

OK, and then in the past 24 hour we got this

Pope Francis suffered an isolated coughing fit that resulted in him inhaling vomit, requiring non-invasive mechanical ventilation, the Vatican said in relaying a setback in his two-week long battle against double pneumonia.

I am now thinking that the “conspiracy theory” may have some legs!

For your information, the conspiracy theory claims that the DEATH will be formally by the Vatican announced on Monday 3rd March. Time will tell.