Is the Vatican right to be concerned about Pope Francis’ health? As our Paris colleagues report on Sunday, October 2, 2022, those close to the sovereign Pope fear that he will step down from his role. Since June 2022, Pope Francis has only moved around in a wheelchair. This is due to gonalgia, an inflammatory pain in the knee. “The itinerary of his trips is very simple,” notes a specialist journalist, quoted by Le Parisien. A stay in Bahrain is planned for early November 2022. The daily emphasizes that South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are on the list for next year. These rides are not “easy rides for a man in a wheelchair,” notes Bernard Lecomte, a historian interviewed by Le Parisien. Pope Francis has also hinted that he may not go to World Youth Day (WYD), which will be held in Portugal next year.
The rumors are therefore simmering in the Vatican. Especially since Pope Francis has decided to ordain 21 cardinals to renew the college of 226 religious who must elect his successor. A way of “preparing for one’s departure,” assures a Roman prelate in the Paris columns. Father Benoît, a 33-year-old priest met by the daily journalists in front of the La Trinité-des-Monts monastery, acknowledges that the pope is “at the end of his pontificate”. These rumors annoy some, including Gisela, a Vatican employee in one of his messages: (…)
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