Pope Francis may resign.
Pope Francis’s recent health problems, deteriorating movement, and canceled events have fueled rumors that the head of the Catholic Church will follow in the footsteps of his predecessor – early retirement.
Francesco, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was elected Pope in March 2013 after Pope Benedict XVI resigned at the age of 85, becoming the first Pope to do so since Gregory XII. year 1415.
Now, some Vatican experts believe that 85-year-old Francesco could become the second – even though the Pope’s adviser has denied the rumors.
Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodríguez Maradiaga likened retirement rumors to nothing more than a soap opera.
The Holy See has so far given no indication that the Pope intends to relinquish the throne of St. Peter, instead of dying in office – as has been the custom for the vast majority of the bishops of Rome.
Last July, the pope of Argentine descent had his left colon removed during a three-hour operation because his bowel had narrowed.
Since then, his health has been markedly declining, where last month Francesco started moving through a wheelchair, or with the help of a cane, due to knee pain.
The pope reportedly did not want to undergo knee surgery – and was quoted as saying to bishops in May, “I would rather resign than agree to surgery.”
“When we are old, 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. . “I also have to use a stick now.”
The bishop of Rome also suffers from sciatic nerve pain, which made him limp even before the knee problem arose.
A week before the Pope’s words on old age, the Vatican canceled a planned July trip to Africa, citing health problems.