state of health, renunciation or death … the questions that arise

Can a hospital pope still govern?

Two situations are to be well distinguished: the unavailability of the Pope, and the vacancy of the stone seat. In the event of unavailability of the Holy Father, as is the case today, the law of the Church does not provide anyone to ensure the interim. Of course, the Secretary of State, Mgr Pietro Parolin, n ° 2 of the Holy See, can ship the current affairs, based on the various chiefs of dicaster (or ministries).

But the pope always automatically exercises his charge. In fact, although weakened, François is completely lucid day. Unlike John Paul II, more and more proven at the end of the mandate by Parkinson’s disease, and who had been forced to entrust to a small circle of those responsible for Curia, including the future Benoît XVI, the rudder of the church.

What if Pope Francis renounces, or dies?

In these two cases, the seat becomes officially vacant. Canon law then plans to entrust the burden of ordinary affairs to the cardinal known as “Camerlingue”. Since 2019, this function has been provided by the American Kevin Farrell.

Can François give up his charge, as Benoît XVI did in February 2013, to general amazement? After the death of his predecessor in December 2022, the Pope had seemed to close this hypothesis, except in the case of “serious problem” (memory loss, impossibility of expressing themselves …).

It is not excluded that the current worsening of her state, if she prevented him from working, of reading his speeches, and a fortiori from traveling, led him to make this decision.

Whatever the case – renunciation or death – the particular period preceding the conclave will open immediately. Knowing that it takes at least 15 days for the 138 cardinals voters (aged under the age of 80) to rally the eternal city from the whole world.

It is to the dean of the college of cardinals, Mgr Giovanni Battista Re, 91, that the burden of organizing the “general congregations”, a very important debate time between future voters of the Pope. But then another page will start.

*Author of The health of popes, medicine, plots and faith of Leon XIII to François (Payot, 2023)