[4] The hospital has become known in the last thirty years for its high level of specialization in the treatment of children coming not only from Rome or Italy but also from neighbouring European countries.

On 4 October 2010, a medical team from Children's Hospital Bambino Gesù of Rome made the world's first transplant of a permanent artificial heart in a patient 15 years old.

[8] In 2017, the Associated Press (AP) reported that a 2014 Vatican investigation had found that the hospital had changed its focus and was "more aimed at profit than on caring for children".

[9][10] The AP reported that overcrowding and poor hygiene contributed to deadly infection, including a 21-month superbug outbreak that killed eight children.

[11] After AP published the report, the Holy See released the following statement: "No hospital is perfect, but it is false and unjust to suggest that there are serious threats to the health of children at Bambino Gesù.

At trial, Profiti testified that hospital funds were used for the apartment renovation with the idea that Cardinal Bertone could host intimate dinners for eight to ten wealthy potential donors at least a half-a-dozen times a year,[13][14] and defended himself by further testifying that the expense was justified because he intended to use Cardinal Bertone's apartment for fundraisers that would have more than repaid the investment within four to five years.

[14] On 22 September, an official of the Government of the Vatican City State testified that the remodeling project for Bertone's apartment bypassed the normal competitive bidding process and was "singular" and "anomalous".