Will Pope Francis resign?
RUMOURS have been circulating that Pope Francis could resign following a spate of health issues.
Italian and Catholic media have been "rife with unsourced speculation" the 85-year-old could be set to step down.
Will Pope Francis resign?
said Pope Francis could be preparing to quit following a spate of health issues.
They are being fuelled by an announcement that Francis will visit the central Italian city of L'Aquila in August 2022 for a feast begun by Pope Celestine V - one of the few popes to have stepped down.
Pope Francis, otherwise known as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, replaced Benedict XVI, who retired from the job nine years ago.
He was seen as a reformer and offered a sharp contrast to Benedict.
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But he has been affected by a series of health issues that have stymied his time as Pope.
They include colon surgery, which has meant Francis has had to use a wheelchair.
His visit to L'Aquila has also raised eyebrows.
Benedict visited the tomb of Celestine V in 2009, some four years before stepping down.
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When was Pope Francis elected?
Pope Francis was elected in 2013 with a mandate to reform the Vatican.
In May 2022, he appointed a swathe of new cardinals who will elect his successor, sparking rumours his agenda may soon be complete.
said: "By the time the new cardinals are officially appointed in Rome at a consistory on August 27, Francis will have named 83 of the 132 cardinal electors, raising the chances they will pick a successor ready to push on with his 'mercy before dogma' policies."
Pope Francis has also invited all cardinals to Rome in August to discuss a new Vatican constitution.
It's understood the new constitution will allow women to head up Vatican departments, impose term limits on priestly Vatican employees, and position the Holy See as an institution at the service of local churches, as part of Francis’s campaign to “make the Vatican less self-referential and more open to the needs of far-flung dioceses," according to.
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Who did Pope Francis replace?
Pope Francis replaced Pope Benedict XVI in 2013 when the latter chose to step down.
Benedict XVI's papal resignation was the first in 598 years.
He gave up his position claiming he was too elderly and infirm for the job.