Vaticanist Marco Politi has denied rumors of Pope Francis’ resignation | “In the Vatican, we are not talking about resignation”

From Rome

Rumors and more rumors in Italy and the Vatican about Pope Francis have added creating uncertainty for a super hot summer, with the spread of covid increasing, with fires and flooding around the world and several countries on the brink of the abyss – albeit for different reasons – such as Haiti and Afghanistan. According to these rumors, never confirmed, Pope Francis would seriously consider resigning, which for several analysts, like the Vaticanist Marco Politi interviewed by Page 12, seems rather improbable because Francisco has not only planned several trips (to Budapest and Slovakia in September) but an important project that he wants to carry out: a synod of bishops on the future of the Church in the post-pandemic period, which will begin in October and last two years.

Journalist and writer, Marco Politi is a Vatican expert. He has published several books on the late popes. The last one, “Francesco. Plague. La rinascita ”(Francisco. La pleste. La renaissance. Edit. La Terza), already translated into French and German, is devoted to the role of Pope Francis in the covid epidemic. “Francisco is the only international voice that has raised the issue of rebuilding society after the pandemic. But an inclusive society, without natural degradation, in which people are not left behind and there are no these huge gulfs between the few super rich and the hundreds of millions of poor “Politi explained. Other of his books are “Josep Ratzinger, Crise di un papato” (Josep Ratzinger’s Crisis of a Papacy, 2011), “Papa Wojtila. L’addio ”(Papa Wojtila. Goodbye, 2007),“ La solitudine di Francesco ”(The solitude of Francis, 2019) and“ Francesco tra i lupi ”(Francis among the wolves, 2014).

No particular problems

–An article in the Italian newspaper “Libero” (center-right) said that Pope Francis, because of the illness for which he was operated on in July or because of his age (he will be 85 in December), would seriously consider to resign. of the papacy. Does this assertion have a basis in your opinion?

– For the moment we have no evidence, neither official nor unofficial, to say that the health of the Pope has deteriorated. You have most likely had major surgery and you need to take care of yourself. It was certainly not possible for the journalists to have a press conference directly with the doctors who treated him. But at the moment, the Pope considers himself an old person but without particular problems.

-Articles in other newspapers have even said that in the Vatican there is talk of a new conclave for the election of a pontiff and candidates. In your opinion, is this the case? Did something similar happen with other Pontiffs?

-No, at the moment there is no discussion in the Vatican on the resignation of the Pope. But it is certain that when the popes reach old age, in various parts of the world, they begin to think about what will happen next. And to wonder what kind of pope should be the successor. But this is completely normal. This happened during the time of John Paul II and Paul VI.

Maneuvers

-All the rumors that circulate, if they have no serious basis, could they be invented by opponents of Pope Francis to reduce their credibility?

– Of course, starting to talk about the Pope’s resignation is surely a maneuver by the most conservative circles who would like this Pope to end his pontificate as quickly as possible. These maneuvers have been denounced for two years, among others by the German cardinal Walter Kasper and by the superior general of the Society of Jesus, the Venezuelan Arturo Sosa Abascal. Father Sosa said that there is a political struggle within the Church and Cardinal Kasper indicated that there are people this Pope does not like and would like him to leave as soon as possible. It is in this climate that these rumors about Francisco’s resignation are launched.

-But would it be true that Pope Francis is considering resigning because of all the controversies that exist in the Church?

-At the beginning of his pontificate, the Pope declared on Mexican television that he could be in the papacy for four or five years and then he would resign. But this initial idea came to nothing because all the reforming forces of the Church urged him to stay as long as possible. The Pope will only resign if suddenly his health conditions do not allow him to move forward, to continue to deal personally with the Vatican machine. But Francisco has a very important project that he wants to carry out personally. He recently decided that the Synod of Bishops, which will begin in October, will not last just one month as usual, but should last two years. It will be a synod on a very important subject: the mission of the Church and participation within the Church in the post-pandemic. The Pope said that this synod must begin in Rome and that in 2022 it will be discussed in all the dioceses of the world, and it will end in 2023. And he wants to personally take care of this project. The synod will be very important for the life of the Church in the twenty-first century.