Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was elected to the papacy in March 2013, following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI at the age of 85, and became the first pope to do so after Gregory II in 1415.
Now, some Vatican observers believe that 85-year-old Francis could become the second – although the pope’s adviser has escaped the chatter.
Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga has debunked retirement rumors as nothing more than a “cheap soap opera”, according to the Religious News Service.
The Holy See has so far given no indication that the pope intends to resign from the throne of St. Peter, instead of dying in office – as was the custom for the vast majority of bishops in Rome.
However, speculation about a possible resignation has been circulating for months.
Last July, the Argentine-born pope had his left colon removed during a three-hour operation because his bowel had narrowed.
Pope Francis’s recent health problems and declining mobility have led to rumors that he plans to retire.AP Photo / Gregorio Borgia, Archive
Since then, his health has visibly deteriorated and in the last month Francis has been in a wheelchair or with the help of a cane, due to knee pain.
The eight-year-old hierarch reportedly did not want to have knee surgery – and reportedly told bishops in May: “Instead of surgery, I will resign.”
Francis was open about his struggles, saying in his speech to the general audience last week that the elderly must accept their physical limitations.
“When we are older, we can not do the same things we did when we were young: The body has a different rhythm and we have to listen to the body and accept its limits,” he said. “We all have them. “And I have to use a cane now.”
Pope Francis pushed in a wheelchair at a Vatican event on June 18, 2022. Vatican Media / IPA via ZUMA Press
The bishop of Rome also suffers from sciatica, which made him limp before the issue even arose with his knee.
A week before the pope’s remarks on aging, the Vatican canceled a planned trip to Africa in July, citing health problems.
Rumors about Francisco’s possible retirement plummeted when he scheduled a meeting of cardinals in L’Aquila, central Italy, in late August.
Francis’s predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, resigned in 2013. Sven Hoppe / Pool via REUTERS
The occasion will mark the so-called “Feast of Forgiveness”, which was instituted by Pope Celestine V in 1294 – the same year that the 13th century pope resigned from the Holy See.
The festivities will begin on August 28 – a day after Francis is scheduled to appoint 21 new cardinals, who will have the right to vote in a conclave if he decides to leave the papacy.
The popes are elected by the College of Cardinals, who are invited to the Vatican for a meeting, followed by papal elections or the conclave.
Before Francis’s predecessor, Benedict XVI, shocked the world by announcing his resignation in 2013 after eight years in power, he visited Celestine’s tomb in the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio in L’Aquila.
Benedict, who became known as the “honorary pope” after his resignation, continues to live in Vatican City. At 95, he is the longest-serving man to hold the office of Pope.
