The Pope’s travel plans to Africa are suddenly on hold. And he’s called a meeting of the cardinals. Now, rumors say the Pope isn’t up for the job anymore.
News outlets report that Pope Francis is riddled with health problems. But I’m guessing there’s a lot more to the story here.
People don’t like change, and a lot of people don’t like Pope Francis. Of course, the pope came with a lot of firsts. He was the first pope from the Western Hemisphere, the first from South America, and the first from the Jesuit order. So that might explain why some people dislike Pope Francis. But one Quora reader chimed in.
Dr. Michael Depietro posted:
Well you try and respect the office, and try and respect Pope Francis as a human being, but how he handled the Papacy is arguably and transparently shall we say sub-optimal..
There are questions widely discussed in the media about how he has dealt with Bishops who mishandled, covered up or even participated in the priest abuse crisis and its surrounding circumstances. On doctrinal issues there have been statements that are ambiguous and caused confusion public statements and so forth ( its a long list) . He has let some episcopal conferences depart pretty widely from Catholic teaching, like the German Bishops to the extent they are becoming basically another Protestant group.
He has arguably been dismissive and unresponsive to criticism, etc etc. Most recently there have been prayer ceremonies in the Vatican to a pagan Indian Goddess… which is not just wrong but batty.. Convincing people there is a real God.. is hard enough without starting to worship the intellectual equivalent of the flying Spaghetti Monster.. this is embarrassing to say the least.. It is the religious equivalent of wanting to ineptly be at the right lunch table in middle school. In an effort to be “inclusive” we are adopting religious beliefs that are irrational. Catholicism is historically better than that. I would rather be less tolerant and less idiotic than bend over backwards to tolerate and partake of religious silliness myself.. and so there you have it.
Here’s the Daily Mail’s take:
Since becoming pope in 2013, the Argentine pontiff has created 83 cardinals in a move to shape the future of the Catholic Church, in part to counter Europe’s historically dominant influence, and to reflect his values.
On August 28, Francis will then pay a visit to L’Aquila and the tomb of Celestine V – the first pope to have resigned from the papacy, in the 13th century.
He then joins the world’s cardinals – many of them meeting their peers for the first time – in two days of discussions over the reform of the Roman Curia, which Francis announced in March with the unveiling of a new constitution.
Francis’ shake-up of the Roman Curia attempts to shift the Church back towards its pastoral roots, allows lay Catholics to head Vatican departments and creates a dicastery specifically for charity works among other reforms.
The moves have triggered intense speculation about his plans for the future, including the most radical – that he was planning to step down.
The resignation of a pope was once almost unthinkable until Benedict XVI renounced his reign in 2013, citing his declining physical and mental health.
In 2014, a year after being elected to replace Benedict, Francis himself told reporters that were his health to impede his functions as pope, he would consider stepping down too.
Of course, resignation rumors have circulated more than once in the past seven years. In earlier years, the Pope always met those rumors head-on with a hard “no”. But it’s possible Pope Frances will change his tune. However, this might all be a bunch of non-confirmed speculation.
Tweeters Weigh In
Megyn Kelly was among the first to spark some Vatican attention. And the opinions seem to think Kelly is wading in gossip rivers. Honestly, it wouldn’t be the first time Kelly got it all wrong.
4 popes have retired in 1000 years. This will be 2 in the past decade.
— Harland ? (@WellesleyDOW) June 20, 2022
Please stop the hype and the dissemination of gossip. If you are a journalist, do your job and get your story confirmed. Those of us who live in Rome and report on the Vatican are not impressed! Enjoy your holiday in Rome and report on the gelati while you are here!
— Dr Jules Gomes (@DrJulesGomes) June 20, 2022
I will now reveal a dark Vatican secret: The 10th World Meeting of Families is taking place in Rome this week, and believers (including bishops and cardinals) are also expected here – „highly unusual“!
— Rudolf Gehrig (@RudolfGehrig) June 20, 2022
I could go on. However, the drift is quite clear: mindless gossip can’t tell us anything about this pope or what he plans to do. We’ll have to wait for an official statement if we want to know what’s going on. Meanwhile, watch the mainstream media as the jump down one rabbit hole after another. At the very least, it’s entertaining!
