Pope Francis said he would not live in the Vatican or return to his native Argentina if and when he ever retires, but would instead like to find a church in Rome where he could continue hearing confessions.
“I’m the bishop of Rome, in this case the emeritus bishop of Rome,” Francis said in an interview segment with Spanish-language broadcaster TelevisaUnivision that aired Tuesday.
Francis, 85, denied he was planning to retire any time soon but repeated that “the door is open” after Pope Benedict XVI in 2013 became the first pope in 600 years to step down.
While having a retired pope on hand has gone well, the Vatican needs to better regulate the figure of an emeritus pope, Francis said in the interview.
“The first experience went rather well because he’s a saintly and discreet man, and he handled it well," Francis said of Benedict in the interview. "But in the future, things should be delineated more, or things should be made more explicit.”
“I think for having taken the first step after so many centuries, he gets 10 points. It’s a marvel,” Francis added.
Francis said he would also step if the time was right before he died while still serving, “if I survive." He answered “surely no” when asked if he would live in the Vatican as a retired pope or would return to Argentina, and said “maybe” when it was suggested that he might take up residence in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, which is the traditional seat of the bishop of Rome.
He recalled that he had planned to retire as archbishop of Buenos Aires at the time of the 2013 conclave that resulted in him becoming pope. Francis said he had prepared a nice apartment in Buenos Aires where he could continue hearing confessions at a nearby church and visiting the sick at a hospital.
“This is what I thought for Buenos Aires. I think this scenario, if I survive until a resignation – it’s possible I might die before - … I’d like something like this,” he said.
ROME – For months, rumors have circulated that Pope Francis could be set to resign later this summer, at least in part due to his ongoing health struggles. However, comments from both the pontiff himself and his top aides suggest that rather than winding down, his schedule is actually picking up.
Some observers still wonder what the pope’s true intentions are, yet one glance at his list of appointments this summer suggests that the possibility of a papal resignation is getting slimmer by the day.
In just two weeks, Pope Francis will make a July 24-29 trip to Canada, where he is expected to deliver a long-awaited apology for the Catholic Church’s role in the historic physical, sexual, and psychological abuse of children at church-run residential schools.
According to the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, British Archbishop Paul Gallagher, it’s possible that after his return from Canada, the pope could travel to Ukraine, visiting the capital city of Kyiv in a bid to support victims of the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war.
Speaking to Italian television station Tg1, Gallagher said, “I think that upon returning from Canada we will begin to really study the possibility.”
Asked whether the trip could happen in August, Gallagher said, “I wouldn’t rule it out,” but insisted that “a lot depends on the results of the trip to Canada. Let’s see how the Pope will withstand this trip, which is also very demanding, and then we’ll see.”
In his interview with Reuters, Francis said that if he goes to Ukraine, he wants “to go to Moscow first,” and that “now it’s possible, after I come back from Canada, it is possible that I manage to go to Ukraine. The first thing is to go to Russia to try to help, but I would like to go to both capitals.”
He is also set to preside over the Aug. 27 consistory for the creation of 21 new cardinals, which will precede an Aug. 29-30 meeting of the world’s cardinals to study and reflect on the new Apostolic Constitution on the Roman Curia, Praedicate Evangelium, promulgated March 19 and which went into force June 5.
In between those two meetings, the pope will squeeze in an Aug. 28 day trip to the central Italian town of L’Aquila, about 75 miles north of Rome, where he will commemorate the victims of a devastating 2009 earthquake that claimed 309 lives and the effects of which are still felt today.
He will also visit the tomb of Pope Celestine V to observe the annual Perdonanza Celestiniana (Celestinian Pardon), a jubilee instituted by Celestine in 1294, and one of the pontiff’s only enduring legacies, beyond his resignation from the papacy.
In September, Pope Francis is set to beatify Albino Luciani, Pope John Paul I – “the Smiling Pope” – whose papacy lasted a brief 33 days.
The Vatican has also announced plans for the pope to visit Kazakhstan for the Sept. 14-15 “Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions,” an international interfaith summit, where he could end up meeting with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, who is also expected to attend.
In his interview with Tg1, Gallagher indicated that a meeting between the two is not only possible but likely, saying that if both Francis and Kirill show up for the event in Kazakhstan, “then yes, there will be a meeting. We must try to overcome difficulties and misunderstandings for the unity of the church.”
Later in September, Francis is scheduled to make back-to-back pastoral visits to the Italian cities of Assisi and Matera.
The pope is set to visit Assisi Sept. 24, where he will attend a meeting of young entrepreneurs titled “The Economy of Francis” at a conference hall located near Assisi’s Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels.
On the following day, Sept. 25, Francis will fly by helicopter to the southern city of Matera to preside over the closing Mass of the Italian National Eucharistic Congress after meeting with a group of migrants and refugees. He will then bless and open a new soup kitchen.
The fact that Pope Francis is not only planning a series of foreign trips stretching into the fall, but that he is also scheduled to preside over a major beatification ceremony for a predecessor whose cause he green-lighted, would indicate that regardless of whatever troubles his knee is giving him, he probably intends to stay in office for some time.
Looks to me very much like Francis and his advisors are doing a variation on what Benedict did in his last years, substituting short and near-by trips for the big multi-day trips of younger years.
ReplyDeleteBenedict resigned in part because he knew the World Youth Day was coming up and that he could not get out of it. I suspect Francis will be much more careful in preparing expectations. They are still there such as the demand that Francis travel to Canada to apologize to the Native Peoples. I suspect there will be a lot of contingency plans such as his recent Mass for Congolese instead of going to the Congo.
Francis recently said he intends to appoint two women as members of the Dicastery that choses bishops. He just appointed three: Sr. Raffaella Petrini, F.S.E., Secretary General of the Governorate of the Vatican City State; Sr. Yvonne Reungoat, F.M.A, former Superior General of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians; and, Dr. Maria Lia Zervino, President of the World Union of Catholic Women's Organizations.
ReplyDeleteHe also appointed Father Dom Donato Ogliari , OSB, Abbot of the Abbey of San Paolo fuori le Mura and Apostolic Administrator of the Territorial Abbey of Montecassino (Italy). Before this time all the members were at least bishops. Beginning to appoint male religious may change the decision making as much as appointing women religious.
I just hope he doesn't wait too long. I'd like to think everyone deserves a nice retirement while their health is good enough for them to enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteJesuits like Nuns don't really retire.
DeleteFWIW - retired-but-active priests are important contributors in the Chicago Archdiocese. Many parishes have only a single priest, with some parishes now trying to sustain weekend liturgy schedules across multiple "campuses" (combined parishes which haven't gotten around to selling off the property of the constituent former parishes).
ReplyDeleteMost priests got into ministry to minister, not do admin. Most active (non-retired) diocesan priests in our archdiocese are parish pastors, meaning that administration is a big part of their jobs. The active-retired guys essentially have retired from admin and can do ministry. Most of the ones I've worked with over the years are pretty happy.