Following the example of Pope Benedict XVI, he resigned after his youthful days

The theme has animated discussions about the future of Pope Francis, but the highest representative of the Catholic Church has also contributed to the party, responding in a more or less evasive way to the theme of his early retirement or the papal column. Emeritus. Vatican sources confirm that Francis will resign after this year’s World Youth Day (WYD) in Portugal from August 1 to 6. Challenges you want to face. If Francis said in June of last year: “It didn’t cross my mind,” then at the end of the year, on December 18, he surprised the Catholic world. , when he was nominated for the papacy, to then-Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Darcisio Bertone, a letter of resignation “for medical reasons”. Interestingly, the head of the Vatican government will retire in the same year, 2013, buying a house that will create a big controversy, because there are allegations that the purchase money – about five hundred thousand euros – was deducted from the hospital’s funds. Bambino Gesu.

It is already known that the Vatican is very rich in stories that are not very dignified, and Francis is precisely famous for wanting to fight Rome’s naming privileges, which caused him some discomfort.

And it was because he felt tired that, at the age of 86 – a year older than Benedict XVI when he resigned – Pope Francis told his close associates that he would retire after WYD, following in the footsteps of Benedict XVI. To justify the letter of resignation, Francis recalled the case of Paul VI, who would have done the same, and though he did not commit to it, Francis thinks that Pius XII should change his letter if he faces problems. Health.

According to the same Vatican sources, Francis wants to set an example for future popes so that they do not follow the tradition of their predecessors, who left the papacy only when they died. For example, John Paul II, who succeeded Benedict XVI, exercised his pontificate for 26 years, and showed many weaknesses before his death.

Francisco speaks, half jokingly, half seriously, about the issue of renunciation, and at one of the preparatory meetings for World Youth Day, the coordinator of the meeting, D. It was not by chance that the auxiliary bishop revealed a conversation to Americo Aguirre. Lisbon details in the second part of today’s _Nascer do SOL interview: “There is not a day without a Pope. The Pope comes. He himself jokes that he could be João XXIV or Francisco II. You have to have a Pope, there is not a day without a Pope” (pages 12-15 see).

The difficulty of having two popes emeritus

Much was made of Francisco’s resignation, and there were even reports that he had cancer, which he categorically denied. In the corridors of the Vatican, there was discussion about the difficulty of having two popes emeritus, a fact that could delay the decision of an Argentine pope. With the death of Benedict XVI, this problem no longer exists, and Francis can now follow in the footsteps of former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was said to have already been in the Pope’s shoes, resigning precisely because he did not. I felt like I was in a position to go to the Journey World Youth Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which took place a few months after the resignation.

Two men dressed in white

The religious press and others noted the drawbacks of having two popes emeritus, with some questioning both the position and the vestment. Starting from the position, according to international press reports, Australian Cardinal George Bell, who is close to Benedict XVI’s philosophy, argues that it does not make sense for outgoing popes to remain pope emeritus only in name. For Bell, the popes should return to the status of cardinals emeritus, and in Francis’ case, it would revert to Bergoglio. Bell does not agree that two popes can wear white robes, arguing that only the acting pope can wear them, even to make it clear that there is only one pope.

The theologians of the University of Bologna suggest that it is very important to put an end to the idea that the Church has “two heads or two kings” and then propose a set of rules to elevate and simplify the position. According to theologians at the University of Bologna, the resigning pope should remain with the title of bishop emeritus of Rome, which greatly simplifies it, since bishops emeritus “must avoid any kind of approach or relationship with the diocesan bishop, harmful to pastoral life and the unity of the diocesan community,” according to the Brazilian website Terra, citing the authors. shows

Here, the behavior of Benedict XVI immediately stands out, already as pope emeritus, giving interviews, writing books and taking up certain positions in the Vatican, whether or not he met Francis’s ideas. Emeritus bishops should be guided by prudence and modesty.

Interestingly, Pope Francis, when asked about the matter by Spanish newspaper ABC, seriously joked that he had no intention of defining the juridical status of pope emeritus: “I feel that the Holy Spirit is not like that. I am interested in taking care of these things,” he said. .

But he said he wanted to be considered bishop emeritus of Rome when he stepped down as pope, as it was “my diocese” and did not want to return to Argentina or stay in the Vatican. An ordinary house in the Romanian capital. As Terra quotes, the last few days can be spent “hearing confessions” near a large church.

In short, everything points to the fact that after WYD, Pope Francis will step down as Pope, in principle, the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon resigns his position. This week Francisco D. Manuel Clemente and D. Americo was with Aguiar – during the funeral of Benedict XVI – and he is convinced that he will come to Lisbon in August. Then it will be time to retire promising not to write a book or give an interview.