We’ve all been reading about and presumably sympathizing with the medical woes of Pope Francis for the past month or so. The pope is 88 years old and has had a lifetime of respiratory issues which have finally put him in enough of a weakened state that he required a month in a Roman hospital. His physician has declared that it is a “Miracle” that he has survived this ordeal since he was apparently very close to death on several occasions. Despite all that, he has recovered enough and/or been adamant enough to get himself released and sent back to his Vatican residence where he has committed to a two month convalescence of reduced work, limited audiences and no travel. Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio (previously the Cardinal of Buenos Aires), became the 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church in March 2013, following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. The hallmark of his papacy has been characterized by several distinctive features like simplicity and humility. Francis chose to live in the Vatican guesthouse rather than the Apostolic Palace and has maintained a simpler lifestyle than his predecessors, rejecting many traditional papal luxuries. He also had a very pronounced reform focus, working to reform the Vatican bureaucracy (Curia), emphasizing decentralization and addressing financial transparency issues, particularly with the Vatican Bank. Following his roots as perceived “socialist” in Argentina, he has had a social justice emphasis, consistently advocated for the poor, refugees, and marginalized communities, making economic inequality and environmental concerns central themes of his papacy. He has been such an environmental advocate that he has made a major statement on environmental ethics, connecting care for the environment with care for the poor. His papacy has continued to grapple with the Church’s sexual abuse crisis, with critics arguing his reforms have been insufficient despite establishing new procedures and accountability measures. Meanwhile, he has heroically pursued interfaith dialogue and improved relations with other Christian denominations, Judaism, Islam, and other faiths while emphasizing mercy and inclusion while maintaining established Church doctrine on many issues, creating a more welcoming tone without fundamentally changing teachings on matters like abortion, contraception, or same-sex marriage. His papacy represents a distinctive combination of traditional Catholic theology with progressive social concerns, particularly regarding economic systems, environmental protection, and the treatment of migrants.
When I think about Pope Francis, it is hard not to think of one of my favorite movies, The Two Popes, staring Jonathan Pryce as Francis and Anthony Hopkins as his predecessor, Pope Benedict. This 2019 movie is about the changing of the Vatican guard in a most unusual manner. Traditionally, popes have served until death, and this has been the historical norm throughout most of the Church’s history. The papacy is generally understood as a lifetime appointment, with most popes remaining in office until their death. However, there is no theological or canonical requirement that a pope must serve until death. Canon law explicitly recognizes that a pope may resign, stating: “If it happens that the Roman Pontiff resigns his office, it is required for validity that the resignation is made freely and properly manifested but not that it is accepted by anyone.” Before Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation in 2013 (the first papal resignation in nearly 600 years), the last pope to voluntarily resign was Pope Celestine V in 1294. Pope Gregory XII also resigned in 1415, but under significant pressure to end what was called the Western Schism. The Western Schism (1378-1417) was a major crisis in the Catholic Church when multiple individuals simultaneously claimed to be the legitimate pope. The Western Schism severely damaged papal authority and prestige, contributed to calls for Church reform, and influenced later movements that would eventually lead to the Protestant Reformation. Benedict XVI’s resignation in 2013 has somewhat normalized the concept of papal resignation in the modern era, potentially creating a precedent for future popes to consider resignation due to advanced age or health concerns rather than necessarily serving until death. As it turned out, Benedict resigned at age 85 and lived a decade longer. Francis shows no signs of intent to resign, despite his enfeebled state.
This past year, yet another movie about papal transition was released. In fact, Conclave was nominated for Best Picture by the Academy of Motion Pictures. Where The Two Popes tells a realistic story of a difficult transition from the traditionalist to the reform-oriented posture of the papacy, Conclave, which hints at the process ahead after Pope Francis’ death, takes a much more sensationalist path. The intrigue within the Curia and the political struggles between the competing cardinals is on full display. While it is easy to imagine that human frailties abound in any gathering of people where the allocation of power is involved, it is still somewhat scandalous to see men of the cloth…indeed, of the highest orders of the cloth…conniving and lying as they jockey for position during the papal conclave where the next pope is selected. The process for selecting a new pope follows a highly structured procedure developed over centuries and initiated when there is a vacancy of the Holy See (the seat or sedes in Latin of the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church). After a 9-day mourning period (novemdiales), the College of Cardinals gathers in Rome for the “Conclave”, which in Latin means “with key” since it is held sequestered in the Sistine Chapel under lock and key. Note that only cardinals under age 80 participate. The cardinals take an oath of secrecy and are cut off from outside communication with no phones, internet, or media access permitted. The balloting process (twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon) carries on until a two-thirds majority is obtained for election. The elected cardinal is then asked “Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?” And if the answer is yes, he is asked what name he chooses as pope. The white smoke is released (black smoke having been signaled with the unsuccessful votes) and the senior cardinal deacon announces to the world from St. Peter’s Basilica balcony, “Habemus Papam!” (“We have a Pope!”) and presents the new pope.
As Kim and I settle back into life on our hilltop, we are both trying to shake off the remnants of our travel colds. Both os us have mild chest colds with lots of intermittent hacking and wheezing as we exorcise the last of our travel bug demons. During one such wheeze I read the update on Pope Francis’ health and his difficulty breathing beyond the occasional wheeze. It reminded me that this wonderfully humble and human pontiff is nearing his end and that we would soon be hearing of the next conclave. I do not know what intrigues me so much about the papacy. Perhaps it has to do with my being baptized a Catholic, but never confirmed. I have never taken communion or confessed my sins, but I did attend a Catholic high school and I did live in Rome for three years and have spent a good deal of time in the Vatican. I guess for all those reasons, I find the whole papal process, as antiquated and yet significant an institutional process as exists in the world, to be a fascinating subject that draws more than a papal wheeze from me every once in a while.