Beloved Pope Francis is now candidate to a long succession process
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I Just as Pope Francis missed Ash Wednesday celebrations today, which mark the beginning of the religious season of Lent, experts are predicting that he is likely to be away at Easter.
Easter, which is the biggest event in the Catholic calendar, will fall in 40-days’ time. Experts are now predicting that there is high likelihood that he might miss this occasion, as he prepares to throw in the towel.
The Pope was admitted to hospital on 14 February after experiencing breathing difficulties for several days. He was first treated for bronchitis before being diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs.
On the whole, activities at St Peter’s Square have slowed as the Catholic Church grapples with the uncertainty caused by the absence of Pope Francis.
Corporal Eliah Cinotti, spokesman for the Swiss Guard, which handles the pope’s security said the whole squad was at minimum service.
He noted that crowd pullers such as the extraordinary services, including masses, audiences, receptions of ambassadors and visits by heads of state have all been cancelled.
Pope Francis is currently under the doctor’s watch
“Some cardinals are stepping in to lead some masses, but most events have been cancelled,” he said.
The transition
But the severity of his condition, and his doctors’ unwillingness to give a medical prognosis, make it difficult to make medium-term plans.
The window of the Apostolic Palace from which the Pope recites the weekly Angelus prayer has remained closed for three Sundays in a row — a first since his election as head of the world’s nearly 1.4 billion Catholics in 2013.
Francis’s health woes have long fueled speculation he might one day resign and his critical illness has prompted some to prepare for the next conclave — the meeting of cardinals which votes in a new pope.
An insider has however intimated to this publication that this is not the time for the cardinals to meet in secret, to plan the future.
“If such a thing happens at this material time, it would undermine the elegance of the great Catholic hierarchy.
But in an absolute monarchy, venturing to discuss the future while the pope is still alive is taboo.
And yet, as the faithful pray every evening in St Peter’s Square, behind the scenes preparations are inevitably being made for all possible eventualities.
On a positive note, Pope Francis has sent signals that he remains in charge, receiving aids and working from his hospital suite on the days he feels well enough.
