Pope Francis, who remains hospitalized in guarded condition after a setback Saturday, remains the leader of the Catholic church until the time of his death, Father Gerald Murray, the pastor of Saint Joseph's Church in New York City, said on Newsmax Saturday.
"There's no provision for passing on authority, as would the president and the vice president, for instance, as in the U.S., during a temporary illness," Murray told Newsmax's "Wake Up America Weekend." "We [will] just wait and see if the pope is able to gain his strength and recover."
Pope Francis was resting Saturday after doctors needed to put him on noninvasive mechanical ventilation after a coughing episode, during which he inhaled vomit that had to be extracted.
Murray said that in the meantime, Vatican officials are visiting the pope, and he has still conducted some business in the two weeks he has been hospitalized.
Still, "this is sort of unexplored territory," said Murrray.
"Popes in the past didn't leave Vatican City, but then John Paul II was the first to go to the hospital, and now Pope Francis has been there," said Murray. "So it's uncharted territory but as long as the pope is alive, he is still in charge."
Murray also discussed Friday's National Catholic Prayer Breakfast and the address from Vice President J.D. Vance.
"It was great to have the vice president there," he said. "He is a Catholic convert. He's very serious about his faith."
Vance referred to the immigration debate that has been going on between Pope Francis and the Trump administration but didn't argue about the matter at the breakfast, Murray noted.
"But he said, of course, we have differences, but as Catholics, we pray for the Pope, we pray for his health," said Murray. "It's very concerning."
Earlier this month, before his hospitalization, Pope Francis rebuked the Trump administration's mass deportation plan, saying that doing so would take away the migrants' inherent dignity.
But Murray said he does not think it is an offense against the pope to disagree with him on a matter of public policy.
"I think the vice president was was quite good yesterday, and I'm pleased that he agreed to come," he said. "And these prayer breakfasts, the Congressional Prayer Breakfast and now the Catholic one, it's a great example for the whole country. This is a country founded under God, and it's a country where we turn to God for guidance and strength."
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Even get Jon Voight’s special series and President Trump’s comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.