ROME — The Vatican announced on Friday that it has canceled Pope Francis’ trip to Africa in July, raising rumors of more serious health problems and even the possible resignation of the Pope.
“At the request of his doctors, and in order not to jeopardize the results of his knee treatment, our Holy Father had to postpone his apostolic trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, scheduled for July 2. 7, a date to be determined later,” Pope Spokesperson Matteo Bruni said in a statement.
Since the 85-year-old Pope began using a wheelchair regularly in early May, Vatican experts have begun to argue seriously. papabili, or possibly the successors to Peter’s chair, is hard work everyone knows. My father suffered from several health issues over the summer, including sciatica and removal of part of his colon.
On May 29, the Pope announced that on August 27, 21 consolidated red-hatted cardinals would be presented. Of these 21 cardinals, 16 are under the age of 80 and are therefore eligible to attend the meeting of the Pope. choose the next pope.
Except for the unforeseen events, after the August elections, the College of Cardinals will be predominantly the result of Francis’ appointments: 83 electoral cardinals will be appointed by Francis, 38 by Pope Benedict XVI, and only 11 by Pope John Paul II.
write for catholic columnVatican journalist Ed Condon recently noted that there are two features that characterize Francis’ criteria for selecting new cardinals: the “environment” and a concerted effort to generalize the college by appointing non-Europeans from the church whose appointment of bishops “is considered most in line with its theological approach.” and pastoral. styles.”
Condon wrote that Francis’ passion for shaping the college’s self-image represented “a departure from final education.”
“Earlier popes, especially St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI made it a notable habit to elect cardinals from their ideological opponents, ensuring that even under conservative popes, purely progressives like Walter Kasper, Reinhart Marx, and Joseph Bernadin needed a large Catholic pope in college. to listen. Condon noted.
Or, as Vatican veteran John L. Allen, Jr. writes, “It seems clear that the 16 new electors were largely supporters of Francis, that is, priests who shared the general progressive view of the Pope.”
“In fact, several times Francis seems to have outstripped important archdioceses traditionally led by cardinals in the same district in favor of smaller seats, while the common denominator is that smaller seats are ruled by their allies,” Allen added.
Along with the Pope’s health problems and the announcement of the council, Francis further fueled rumors about the future of his papacy by announcing his intention to visit L’Aquila, Italy, in August. From the papacy in 1294, he is the last pope to do so before Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation in 2013. Benedict personally visited Celestine’s grave in 2009, nearly four years before he retired.
Francis praised Benedict’s decision to resign as “a fine act of nobility, humility and courage”.
Pope Francis congratulates the faithful on his departure from the Basilica of Saint Mary Major after attending the rosary for peace on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, in Rome. Pope Francis canceled a planned trip to Africa in July due to ongoing knee problems. . The Vatican said on Friday, June 10, 2022, that the 85-year-old pope is raising more questions about his health issues and actions. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
In 2018, Francis said he was considering when the Lord would call him “retirement,” a comment that has caused widespread speculation in the media that the Pope is considering resigning.
In an in-flight interview in 2014, Francis suggested that he did not expect his papacy to last.
“I try to think about my sins, my mistakes so that I don’t think I’m human,” he said. “Because I know it won’t be long, and in two or three years at Father’s house.”
Source: Breitbart
