History
Explosion Of Pope Pius XII
The result of a shoddy embalming
Steps in the embalming of a cadaver:
1. Coat it with essential oils
2. Wrap it up tightly with cellophane tape
Voila! You have a perfectly exploding corpse.
At least, that was the case of poor Pope Pius’s botched embalming by a mediocre doctor.
What Had Happened?
During his tenure as the Pope, Pope Pius held an Italian Physician Riccardo Galeazzi-Lisi in high regard and made him the “Archiatra Pontificio”, the Chief Physician. Riccardo was also an esteemed member of the International Society for the History of Medicine.
Despite being an integral member of the medical community, he managed to whip up a gargantuan controversy in the light of the Pope’s death.
Scandal 1
When the Pope was ailing with Ischemia (a disease where the tissues get an insufficient amount of blood supply), it was Riccardo who was treating him…. and giving inside information to the media.
To inform the media regarding the death time of the Pontiff, Riccardo said he’ll open the window as an indication. But an unsuspecting nun opened the window due to sweltering heat, and it was publicized that the Pope had perished a day before his actual demise.
He was also giving away articles and photographs of the dying Pope’s last moments to a French Magazine, Paris Match, and an Italian Magazine. He was also planning to publish the documentation of the final four days of the Pope’s life (Big mistake, buddy).
Scandal 2
As if being a complete rat was not enough, his completely inept knowledge of embalming resulted in colossal consequences. Unlike other Pontiffs, Pope Pius XII didn’t want his vital organs to be removed and placed in jars. He wanted it to be kept
“in the same condition in which God created it”
So Riccardo came up with this fabulous method of preservation (with essential oils and resins) that, he claimed, was used to preserve Jesus Christ. He, with a Naples embalmer, Professor Oreste Nuzzi, coated the Pontiff with the oils and wrapped him up tightly with cellophane tape. He assumed that, by the end, the body would be properly preserved and sweet-smelling.
What happened was the exact opposite! Due to the blockage of air by the cellophane, the chemical reactions in the body started to build-up, causing anaerobic decomposition. Riccardo tried embalming it the second time but in vain.
The body, during the procession from Castel Gandolfo to Rome, started decomposing right in front of the audience. Pope’s chest imploded, his nose and fingers fell off, and his body turned “emerald green” (definitely not pretty).
The stench was so putrid that few of the stoic Swiss Guards fainted, and they had to be on rotation to evade the smell.
Dismissal
Riccardo was censured neither for the decomposition nor the medical condition of the Pope. But he was exiled from Vatican City for trying to give away sensitive information to the media.
He was the only person to be exiled for a misdemeanor from Vatican City.
