Pope Francis’ tenure as the Pope won’t last forever. And with his age, it could come to an end at anytime.
And now the Pope’s resignation comments have everyone worried sick.
By praising the “virtue of stepping aside at the right time” in a Sunday prayer, Pope Francis may have reignited speculation that he may resign.
Francis said he wasn’t interested in maintaining a following or receiving accolades for his accomplishments, citing John the Baptist as an example of someone who exhibited “the sign of a true educator,” according to the Independent Catholic News.
“To step aside, to learn to take one’s leave: I have completed this mission, I have had this meeting, I will step aside and leave room to the Lord. To learn to step aside, not to take something for ourselves in recompense,” Francis said of John’s example.
Francis prayed in front of a crowd in St. Peter’s Square, “May Mary, the servant of the Lord, help us to be free from attachments, to make way for the Lord and to give space to others,”
According to the Daily Mail, Francis has already stated that if his health worsens, he will resign as pontiff.
However, he has brushed off prevailing rumors about his possible resignation.
“It is easy to become attached to roles and positions, to the need to be esteemed, recognized and rewarded,” he said.
The Pope normally leads the faithful in the Sunday Angelus prayer, which he does from the window of his study after first reflecting on the gospel.
According to The Telegraph, Pope Francis was unlikely to stand down while Pope Benedict XVI was still alive in order to prevent a situation in which there are three Popes residing in the Vatican simultaneously.
In 2013, Benedict XVI, who passed away on December 31, resigned, citing his deteriorating health.
The departure of Benedict sparked rumors that Francis may follow suit. Francis revealed to CNN in December that he has previously written a letter of resignation that would go into force if he were to become “impaired” due to illness or an accident.
After Francis’ visit to L’Aquila, an Italian city linked to the resignation of Pope Celestine V in 1294, rumors intensified. Francis, though, emphasized that he had no plans to resign in July.
Pope Francis is also nearing the age of 90.
The simple truth is that he likely won’t be the Pope for too much longer.
This has dedicated Catholic Christians and Christians in general worried about what’s next for the Vatican and the Catholic Church.
Pope Francis has represented a certainly more liberal shift compared to the staunchly conservative late Pope Benedict.
So what’s next for the Church will be a huge determining factor for whether the Church continues down Francis’ more liberal approach vs Benedict’s.
Will the next Pope finally be willing to condemn the anti-Christian radicalism of the far-Left in both America and Europe?
Or will he follow in the footsteps of “keeping the peace” that we’ve seen as of late?
Time will tell.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
