“Pope Francis is tired and very handicapped by his knee (…) but he is not intellectually impaired“, explains this Saturday on franceinfo Isabelle de Gaulmyn, editor-in-chief at The cross. While the pope mentioned, on his return from his trip to Canada, the possibility of “put aside“, the journalist believes that he “prepare this exit and prepare it strategically“. According to her, Pope Francis is in the process of “place people favorable to its line, a line open to the world, in which the Church recognizes its errors“, before losing control and power.”That’s what guides him. The moment he feels that he can no longer have enough authority and energy to impose his views, that day he will resign.“, summarizes Isabelle de Gaulmyn.
franceinfo: Is the pope considering his departure?
Isabelle de Gaulmyn: Yes and he says it with a lot of humor. He says “listen, it’s not a disaster if we change the pope“, and it’s interesting because since Benedict XVI, the first pope to have resigned, the sovereign pontiff no longer considers himself a sacred figure who must remain at his task until the end, as John Paul II had done. In fact, Pope Francis is tired but also very handicapped by his knee and he does not want to have another operation because his last operation went wrong during the general anesthesia, so he says that it is not for tomorrow but that it may be the day after tomorrow. It is a way of playing down this change of pontificate.
Has the function of pope become more demanding, with more travel?
Isabelle de Gaulmyn: In the past, it is true that the pope was locked up in the Vatican. He was not moving. Since Paul VI, the popes have started to move. Their agendas have become increasingly important and when we know that Pope Francis is 85 years old, we say to ourselves that he has the right to rest. The question that arises is whether one can still be pope when one can no longer move?
“A pope who can no longer move, no longer travel, would become a powerless pope.”
Isabelle de Gaulmyn, journalist specializing in religionsat franceinfo
That’s the problem, because a pope has no army, no power, no economy, no businesses, so his only weapon is his word, and we don’t hears only when he moves, when journalists are there to collect his words.
What will the next few months, years, of the pope look like if he is so physically diminished?
Isabelle de Gaulmyn: Already, he is not intellectually impaired, it is very important to say so because everyone has in mind the last years of John Paul II who was physically and intellectually impaired. I think that’s what Pope Francis wants to avoid: an end of reign where people in the pope’s entourage take power without the pope being able to control it. That’s what guides him.
“The moment he feels he can no longer have enough authority and energy to impose his views, that day he will resign.”
Isabelle de Gaulmyn, journalist specializing in religionsat franceinfo
Will he have the same influence now that we know he plans to leave office?
Isabelle de Gaulmyn: We have seen over the past few months that he has been trying to pass quite a few reforms and that he has made important appointments of personalities who are close to him and in particular cardinals since it is the cardinals who will elect the next pope. He prepares this exit and he prepares it strategically by placing people who are favorable to his line, a line open to the world, in which the Church recognizes its errors. This line is not always well perceived by all the cardinals. He therefore reinforces this openness, so as to ensure that his pontificate is followed by a pontificate that goes in the same direction.