Pope’s future sparks debate

Pope Francis has fuelled the ­rumour mill with a postponed Africa trip and the curious timing of an upcoming meeting of cardinals – but experts caution against assuming a resignation is nigh.

Pope Francis waves from the window of the apostolic palace overlooking St. Peter's square. Picture: AFP

Pope Francis has fuelled the ­rumour mill with a postponed Africa trip and the curious timing of an upcoming meeting of cardinals – but experts caution against assuming a resignation is nigh.

Last week the 85-year-old pontiff, hobbled by pain in his knee and forced to use a wheelchair in recent weeks, postponed a July trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.

That move, along with an unusual decision to hold a consistory to name new cardinals during the vacation month of August, triggered intense speculation about his plans for the ­future, including the most radical: that he was planning to step down.

“In the Pope’s entourage, the majority of people don’t really believe in the possibility of a resignation,” a Vatican source said.

Rumours within the insular Roman Curia – the Catholic Church’s powerful governing body – were nothing new and often fuelled by those with an interest, said Italian Vatican expert Marco Politi.

“These rumours are encouraged by the Pope’s opponents who are only eager to see Francis leave,” he said.

The resignation of a pope was once almost unthinkable. But when Benedict XVI stood down in 2013, citing his declining physical and mental health, he set a precedent.

In 2014, a year after being elected to replace Benedict, Francis said that were his health to impede his functions as Pope, he would consider stepping down, too. “He (Benedict) opened a door, the door to retired popes,” Francis said then.

Last month, as reported by Italian media, Francis joked about his knee during a closed-door meeting with bishops: “Rather than operate, I’ll ­resign.”

However, a trip to Canada at the end of next month is still on Francis’s schedule, and the Pope continues to receive injections in his knee and physical therapy.

As a child, Francis had one of his lungs partially removed. Today, besides his knee issue, he suffers recurring sciatic nerve pain.

AFP