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Surgeon denies saying pope has Parkinson's disease ROME (January 4, 2001 4:14 p.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com) - The surgeon who performed Pope John Paul II's 1994 hip operation denied Thursday that he had said the aging pontiff was suffering from Parkinson's disease. Gianfranco Fineschi said he was misquoted in an interview he gave to the Italian magazine Oggi. "I was asked if the Holy Father had Parkinson's, to which I replied, 'I cannot exclude that he suffers from a Parkinson's-like illness, but it is not in my field,"' Fineschi told The Associated Press on Thursday. In Oggi, which came out on newsstands Thursday, Fineschi was quoted as giving this explanation for why the pope walks with a shuffling gait: "He does so for neurological reasons and not orthopedic." "The medicines which he takes to treat Parkinson's disease, which is the cause of his hand tremors, in fact, have an impact on his muscle system, reducing facial moments and forcing him to take small steps," Oggi quoted him as saying. The 80-year-old pope's difficulty in walking and speaking and tremors are common symptoms of Parkinson's, but the Vatican has never confirmed that he has the disease. Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls, asked by the AP why the Holy See doesn't say what condition is causing the pope's symptoms, replied: "It's a question for his doctors." The Vatican had no comment on the Oggi piece. Navarro-Valls said a few years ago that the pope was suffering from a syndrome in a family of neurological disorders, but did not name the disease. Fineschi told AP that he doesn't like talking about his professional relationship with the pope, but agreed to the Oggi piece because the interviewer was a priest. "In the article there's a mixup between the questions and the answers," Fineschi said. Oggi's editor-in-chief, Angelo Ascoli, said the magazine would have never published the piece "unless we were sure it was correct right down to the last comma." Fineschi said he last met with the pope about three years ago and couldn't recall the date of his last medical exam. The pontiff "needs to rest and not work so much," he said. John Paul, however, has set out a heavy agenda for 2001 with no rest after wrapping up the grueling daily appointments of the Holy Year, which ends Saturday. He is expected to travel to Syria, Malta and Ukraine. There also are widespread expectations that the pope will name new cardinals shortly, assuring that he has appointed the vast majority of those who will be voting for his successor. The Vatican said Thursday the date of the announcement isn't yet known, although John Paul might make it later this month. By PETER W. MAYER, Associated Press Copyright 2000 Nando Media http://www.nandotimes.com/noframes/story/0,2107,500296151-500471679-50319250 0-0,00.html janet paterson, an akinetic rigid subtype parkie 53 now /44 dx cd / 43 onset cd /41 dx pd / 37 onset pd TEL: 613 256 8340 SMAIL: POBox 171 Almonte Ontario K0A 1A0 Canada EMAIL: [log in to unmask] URL: http://www.geocities.com/janet313/