Pope Denies Resignation Rumors

Despite ongoing rumors in the Italian media about his potential resignation from the office of the papacy, Pope Francis has confirmed that he will continue to serve out his mission and has no intention of leaving anytime soon.

The Daily Mail reports that the 85-year-old pontiff told Brazilian bishops in a meeting that he had no intention of stepping down, instead declaring: “I want to live my mission as long as God allows me and that’s it.” A Portuguese translation of a Vatican newsletter (found here) also included a comment from Francis in which he told them that “resignation does not cross his mind”.

Francis’ comments come in the wake of speculation that the Pope potentially planned on resigning from his position as the head of the Roman Catholic Church. CBN News documented a list of events that led some to wonder if Francis was setting the stage for his resignation. The Pope postponed a trip to Africa that included stops in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. He also scheduled a consistory to be held on August 27 of this year, which will feature the creation of 21 new cardinals. Some had noted that the timing of the consistory seemed unusual, which helped to fuel rumors about the status of the Pope. And as the Daily Mail notes, out of the 21 new cardinals, 16 of them will be under the age of 80, meaning they will be able to vote in the next conclave when a new pope is chosen after Francis. This has caused some to suspect that he is ensuring his legacy and reforms will be cemented by whoever is next elected pope.

Compounding this is Francis’ recent confinement to a wheelchair due to nerve pain in his knee. According to the Vatican, this was primarily the reason for postponing the Africa trip: “At the request of his doctors, and in order not to jeopardize the results of the therapy that he is undergoing for his knee, Pope Francis has been forced to postpone, with regret, his Apostolic Journey to the Democratic Republic of Congo and to South Sudan.” 

This is not the first time that Francis’ physical health has brought about resignation rumors. In July of 2021, Francis had part of his left colon surgically removed due to a narrowing of his bowel that required an operation to fix. Though the surgery was a success, a poor translation of an Italian media post at the time of the surgery caused rumors to circulate that the Pope was planning to resign, though this of course never happened. 

Some Vatican officials have accused Francis’ opponents of fueling these rumors out of a desire to see him abdicate the papal chair. The Daily Mail quoted Vatican expert Marco Politi, who claimed that “These rumours are encouraged by the pope’s opponents who are only eager to see Francis leave.” 

Francis has his fair share of critics, particularly American conservative Catholics. In July of 2021, Francis reversed the decisions of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger) on the use of the Tridentine Rite – also known as the old Latin Mass – and reimposed restrictions on its use in an attempt to better enforce the decrees of the Second Vatican Council, which some traditionalist circles are critical of and in certain cases outright reject. With the scheduled consistory, it’s potentially the case that the cardinals will be used to further the aims of Vatican II after Francis is gone and a new pope is installed. 

The question of papal resignation became a reality after the last pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI stepped down due to difficulties with his old age. Benedict became the first pope to resign from the papal office since Pope Gregory XII in 1415. Still, while canon law states that a pope can resign, it must be done out of the pontiff’s free will and he must be of sound mind. The fear with papal resignations from popes such as Paul VI and Pope St. John Paul II was that it would encourage the development of factions whose aim was to force the pope out of office if they did not approve of how he led the Church.

There is also the element of what the papacy actually symbolizes – it is not merely a political office that has to be filled. Rather, the pope is meant to act as a shepherd to the flock and as a father to his children. When a shepherd’s sheep are in danger, the shepherd doesn’t run and let them fend off the wolves on their own. He defends them and leads them to safety, for “the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep” (John 10:11). The pope is charged with protecting the Church, Christ’s earthly ministry to guide His creation towards salvation. He is the Vicar of Christ, entrusted by his office “to care for the Church of God, which He obtained with His own blood” (Acts 20:28). So just as Christ is our heavenly Shepherd and will never abandon His sheep, so should His earthly Shepherd in the Bishop of Rome not abandon his flock in their hour of need.