Vaticanologists speculate about Francis’ resignation and his legacy. Just a “fantasy”?
Ferragosto, the peak of the holiday season and media slump in Italy, where Romans are fleeing the capital, is still two months away. But the city is already buzzing with rumors. And they say nothing more than a sensation – the Pope’s resignation for reasons of age and health only in Ferragosto, nine and a half years after the resignation of his predecessor, Benedict XVI. Images of Francis in a wheelchair at audiences, receptions and other events have fueled speculation by the “Vaticanisti”, the Pope’s professional observers of the Italian media.
Is this just an intrigue by the Vatican to get rid of the Pope, who is unwelcome by some in the Curia, or at least to harm him? Francis is currently carrying a heavy burden in Ukraine’s war as Prince of Peace, mostly physically. The 85-year-old man has been tormented for months by pain in his right knee caused by osteoarthritis, which he treated with injections and infiltrations and which forces him to cancel appointments and breaks.