Blessed bodily decay
From Why Didn’t They
Embalm the Pope? in last week’s Slate (emphasis added):
There has been intense speculation about the state of the pope’s body
among American death industry professionals. Some claim to have
identified a purpling of the lips in photographs, suggestive of decay
produced by bacterial populations in the mouth and on the gums. Others
say the pope shows signs of bloating.
My subscription to Vatican Illustrated lapsed so I don’t have
last year’s swimsuit issue to do my own analysis and will trust the
experts.