Editing Pope John Paul II (section)

== Health ==
{{Main|Pope John Paul II's health}}
[[File:PapstJPII20040922.jpg|thumb|An ailing John Paul II riding in the [[Popemobile]] in September 2004 in [[St. Peter's Square]]]]
When he became pope in 1978 at the age of 58, John Paul II was an avid sportsman. He remained extremely healthy and active especially in his first years of papacy, jogging in the [[Vatican gardens]], weight training, swimming, and hiking in the mountains. He was fond of football, [[skiing]] and [[swimming]]. The media contrasted the new pope's athleticism and trim figure to the poor health of [[John Paul I]] and [[Paul VI]], the portliness of [[John XXIII]] and the constant claims of ailments of [[Pius XII]]. The only modern pope with a fitness regimen had been [[Pope Pius XI]] (1922–1939), who was an avid mountaineer, conquering summits like [[Monte Rosa]], [[Mont Blanc]] (the highest of the Alps) and [[Matterhorn]].<ref name="Ratti" /><ref name="Ratti2" /> Media occasionally referred to John Paul II's fitness regimen: for example, an ''[[Irish Independent]]'' article in the 1980s labelled him the ''keep-fit pope'', and an Italian newspaper called him ''l'atleta di Dio'' ("God's athlete") in 2005.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Messori |first=Vittorio |date=2005-02-03 |title=Corriere della Sera - La notte dolorosa dell' «Atleta di Dio» |url=https://www.corriere.it/Primo_Piano/Cronache/2005/02_Febbraio/03/messori.shtml |access-date=2025-04-23 |website=www.corriere.it}}</ref>

However, after over 26 years as pope, two assassination attempts, one of which injured him severely, and a number of cancer scares, John Paul's physical health declined. In 2001 he was diagnosed as suffering from [[Parkinson's disease]].<ref name="Parkinsons2001" /> International observers had suspected this for some time, but it was only publicly acknowledged by the Vatican in 2003. Despite difficulty speaking more than a few sentences at a time, trouble [[hearing]], and severe [[osteoarthrosis]], he continued to tour the world although rarely walking in public.