POPE'S HEALTH SCARES

May 1981 -- shot in stomach and hand during assassination attempt in St. Peter's Square
July 1992 -- undergoes surgery to remove intestinal tumor
1992 -- symptoms of Parkinson's disease appear
November 1993 -- dislocates shoulder during fall from stairs
April 1994 -- suffers broken right thigh bone
December 1995 -- misses Christmas Mass for the first time because of flu
March and August 1996 -- cancels public engagements because of fevers of "digestive nature"
October 1996 -- undergoes surgery to remove appendix
June 1999 -- cancels open-air Mass in Poland after fall
March 2002 -- cancels public engagements because of flare-up of arthritis in right knee
September 2003 -- cancels engagements because of an intestinal ailment