Will Pope Francis resign? Pontifex Meets With All 200 Cardinals

Rumors of Pope’s resignation
Francis met all 200 cardinals

8/30/2022 11:04 am

The Vatican is very silent about the reasons why Francis is calling all 200 cardinals to Rome. The unusual general assembly feeds rumors about a possible papal resignation. Officially, the constitution is subject to reform.

As is usually the case with a convention, about 200 cardinals at the Vatican met with Pope Francis for a general assembly. At the meeting, the head of Catholics intends to discuss the new constitution of the pope states, called the “Predicate Gospel”, which has been in force since early June. The Holy See gave some details before that. Two-day meeting. Even in the afternoon limited communication is limited to one sentence: “At the Vatican, in the presence of Holy Father Francis, the meeting of the cardinals for the new apostolic constitution Predicate Gospel is taking place.” The only public event planned is the final mass on Tuesday Is.

The 85-year-old pontiff wants to reform his church and the new constitution is part of that plan. Among other things, he wants to open up Vatican officials so that ordinary people or even women can have access to senior positions. However, for many, the Pope’s plans don’t go that far. A group of women protested next to St Peter’s Basilica with red umbrellas in the morning, on which they campaigned for phrases such as “reform means women” or “more than half of the church” for women.

Very unusual is a cardinal assembly in mid-August. With two more appointments just before the meeting, the pope further fueled rumors about a possible resignation. Vatican observers currently consider such a move unlikely. Still, the holy father’s poor health has fueled speculation for months.

Two Worthwhile Weekend Appointments

Francis appointed 20 new cardinals on Saturday. On Sunday he prayed at the tomb of the Pope, the first person in the history of the Church to resign voluntarily. He flew by helicopter to the Italian city of L’Aquila, where he met with relatives of victims of the deadly 2009 earthquake and prayed at the tomb of Celestine V in the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collegio.

In 1294, Pope Celestine V was the first pope to resign voluntarily. Pope Benedict XVI also. Prayed at this grave a few years before his resignation in 2013. Benedict’s visit and the filing of the badge of his office on the grave of Celestine V was later interpreted as a silent announcement of his resignation.

With the appointment of 20 new cardinals, Pope Francis has at least had a noticeable impact on the future of the Catholic Church. 16 of them are allowed to vote in a convention for a new head of the Catholic Church, i.e. a papal election, as they have not yet exceeded the prescribed age limit of 80 years.