Former Roman Catholic priest Father Frank Pavone told Newsmax on Monday that Pope Francis will likely consider retiring from his post due to his current health problems but warned viewers not to expect "real-time" updates on the Pontiff's health.
The Vatican announced on Monday that Pope Francis, who is 88, is resting while in critical condition due to "mild kidney failure" following a complex infection and a case of pneumonia.
Pavone, the national director of Priests for Life, told "Wake Up America" "Well, of course, it's always sad" for the Pope to be hospitalized, adding that Catholics "rally around the Pope as a center of unity, and so our heartfelt prayers for concern and love go out to him with prayers for his recovery and gratitude for all that he has done during his life … serving the church."
Pavone added that the Vatican isn't always very transparent, especially compared to American institutions.
"I worked at the Vatican for a little while, and there it has its own language. It really does. It has its own way of communicating," Pavone said.
"It very often it is much less transparent, certainly, than we're used to in our in our communications here in the States. So, you know, not necessarily reading into it, but I would think that it's certainly reasonable to expect further updates that, you know, might not be getting to us in real time."
When asked if Francis would consider retiring or resigning because of his health, Pavone said, "very much so." He added, "He's very open to doing that himself."
Pavone noted that he has no "inside information" on the Pope's thinking, but said, "I believe that he wrote a letter already that the Vatican officials have, indicating that should he be incapable of making decisions or carrying out his duties … that effectively was a letter of resignation that would go into effect at the proper time."
He also said that this is necessary because the Catholic Church lacks any "provision in church law for a situation where a Pope is incapacitated and cannot speak for himself, because if that happens … all acts of governance are frozen."
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Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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