Rumours of Pope Francis’ resignation have been circling after the Vatican announced the pope will visit the tomb of his predecessor who resigned in the 13th century.
The pope will travel to the Italian city of L’Aquila for the Perdonanza Celestiniana festival and visit the tomb of Pope Celestine V, who issued a decree declaring that popes had the right to resign before swiftly handing in his own resignation.
Elected in 1294 as a compromise candidate, the hermit pope found the duty too big a burden to carry and exercised his self-made right five months after being appointed.
Now, Pope Francis’ visit to L’Aquila is fuelling whispers of his retirement after Pope Benedict XVI visited Celestines tomb four years before resigning himself in 2013.
During the symbolic visit, he left behind his pallium stole which signalled his decision to leave.
Rumours of Pope Francis’ resignation first began when he was seen using a wheelchair in early May this year after undergoing a minor operation on his knee.
Speculation grew further after it was announced that the pope will hold a consistory on August 2, to create new cardinals, a decision that has been regarded as unusual.
The pope will create 21 new cardinals, 16 of whom are under 80.
“It’s very odd to have a consistory in August, there’s no reason that he needs to call this [event] three months in advance and then go to L’Aquila in the middle of it,” Robert Mickens, the Rome-based editor of the English-language edition of Catholic newspaper La Croix, told The Guardian.
A week after the consistory, Pope Francis will meet the cardinals to discuss his reforms to the Vatican’s central administrauion, including placing term limits on the chiefs of Vatican offices and giving such posts to women.
