Riccardo Galeazzi-Lisi

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Riccardo Galeazzi-Lisi (1891 - 1968) was an Italian medical charlatan who served as Pope Pius XII's personal physician from 1939 until Pius' death in 1958. Officially titled "Archiatra Pontificio", this position entitled him to stand behind the pontifical throne at all papal liturgical ceremonies (cappella papale). The pope also made him an honorary member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

Pope Pius suffered from gastritis brought on by kidney dysfunctions. Galeazzi-Lisi, with the aid of a Swiss colleague, prescribed injections made from the glands of foetal lambs that gave Pius chronic hiccups and rotting teeth.[1][2] In 1955, a medical commission of five doctors was established by the Vatican Curia and the Pacelli (Pope Pius's) family; Galeazzi-Lisi was a member of this commission.

Pius died on October 9, 1958 in Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence. Galeazzi-Lisi gained admittance as the pope lay dying and took photographs of dying and dead Pius which he tried to sell to some magazines, including Paris Match. In the wake of this notorious act, he was forced to resign as head of the Vatican medical services in the wake of massive public protests.

Pope Pius XII at the start of his lying-in-state.
Pope Pius XII at the start of his lying-in-state.

When Pius died, Galeazzi-Lisi assumed the role of Pius' embalmer. Rather than slow the process of decay, the doctor-mortician's self-made technique (aromatizazzione), which involved encasing Pius in a cellophane bag with herbs and spices, sped it up, causing the Holy Father's corpse to disintegrate rapidly, turning purple; at one point, the nose's remains fell off. It is reported that while transporting the pope's body from Castel Gandolfo to the Vatican, pressure within the coffin due to gases given off by decay blew off the seals.[1] The stench caused by the decay was such that guards had to be rotated every 15 minutes, otherwise they would collapse. The condition of the body became so bad that the remains were secretly removed at one point for further treatments before being returned in the morning. This caused considerable embarrassment to the Vatican and one of the first acts of Pius' successor, Pope John XXIII, was to banish Galeazzi-Lisi from Vatican City for life.[3]

He was commonly believed to have been a quack, and responsible for worsening the pontiff's medical problems and hastening his death.The Italian Medical Council expelled Galeazzi-Lisi for "infamous conduct", but the High Court of the Italian Central Health Commission reversed the decision.[4]

In 1960 Galeazzi-Lisi attempted to dispel accusations made against him, in his book "Dans l'Ombre et la Lumière de Pie XII" ("In the Shadow and the Light of Pius XII") ASIN B0007IXPV6.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b Heirs of the Fisherman : Behind the Scenes of Papal Death and Succession - ISBN 0-19-517834-3
  2. ^ Papal Preservation. Steven Palmer. YB News. June 2005.
  3. ^ Guide to Age. Alexander Chancellor. The Guardian. April 16, 2005.
  4. ^ The Pope's Doctor. Alan McElwain. Annals Australia. July 1989.
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