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After repeatedly denying reports that Pope Francis has a benign brain tumor Wednesday, the Vatican is going a step further, calling the rumor "false information" that's meant to destabilize the papacy. The doctor named in the reports also says they're untrue.

 and other Italian newspapers reported that in recent months, Francis had been visited by a Japanese doctor to diagnose a tumor.


The reports emerged as Francis, 78, has been attending a large gathering of bishops, where three weeks of meetings have been marked by disagreements over how the church approaches marriage, sex and homosexuality.

From Rome, NPR'S Sylvia Poggioli reports:

The doctor named in the Italian reports is Takanori Fukushima, a neurosurgeon who lives in North Carolina and works at the Duke University Medical Center and the Carolina Neuroscience Institute.

"I have never medically examined the pope," Fukushima said in a statement released by Duke last night and relayed by the AP. "These stories are completely false."

 reports, Fukushima has met Pope Francis at least twice – once last September and again in January, according to photos and blog entries posted by the brain surgeon. The newspaper says that in those cases, Fukushima visited the Holy See during trips to perform surgeries in Europe.  Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Religion and Faith

The doctor named in the Italian reports is Takanori Fukushima, a neurosurgeon who lives in North Carolina. He denies the claims.

Vatican says rumors about pope's health are an attempt to undermine him

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