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Korean Catholic Church prepares to protect Pope`s health

Korean Catholic Church prepares to protect Pope`s health

Posted August. 14, 2014 04:30,   

한국어

The Roman Catholic Church in South Korea is getting fully ready to protect the health of Pope Francis ahead of his upcoming visit to the country.

According to a senior official of the Roman Catholic Church in South Korea, the Pope will be hospitalized at the Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary`s Hospital in the event that he has a health problem. The hospital is preparing a 451-square-meter room in its VIP ward, the largest in the country. The room will be created by adjoining two patient rooms at the hospital. The room is not only the largest in South Korea but also the most expensive with a daily fee of over 4 million won (4,000 U.S. dollars).

If the Pope has a health problem during a Mass in central Seoul on Saturday or his stay at his accommodations (the Vatican Embassy in downtown Seoul), he will likely be taken to the intensive care unit of the Seoul National University Hospital, which is located just 10 minutes` drive from the locations. Kang Moo-il, the head doctor at the Catholic Medical Center, and Choi Jong-young, a professor of gastroenterology at the Catholic University of Korea School of Medicine, will be in charge of the pontifical heath during papal stay in Seoul. The Korean medical team led by the two will stand by at a hotel near the pope`s accommodations around the clock.

Pope Francis reportedly has only one lung. He had one of his lungs removed at the age of 21 on account of pneumonia. He still reportedly has a hard time trying to sing hymns due to his bronchial conditions and also has issues in his waist. The Pope will preside over a Mass in central Seoul for over two hours and is scheduled to travel 1,000 kilometers in Korea.