Papacy entering "new" perhaps "final" stage, says Vatican expert

The Manila Times

Papacy entering "new" perhaps "final" stage, says Vatican expert  Pope Francis' papacy is perhaps entering a "new" and perhaps "final" phase, longtime Vatican expert and author Phil Pullella told Reuters on Sunday, March 23, as the pontiff was discharged from a five-week hospital stay.  The 88-year-old pope made his first public appearance since being hospitalized on February 14 on Sunday, greeting crowds from the balcony of his room at Rome's Gemelli hospital.   His prolonged illness, age and overall health has prompted renewed speculation about the future of his papacy.  Pullella said speculation about a possible resignation has intensified, though Francis previously cautioned against papal resignations becoming a "fashion" after his predecessor, Pope Benedict relinquished office in 2013.  REUTERS / VATICAN MEDIA VIDEO  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe   Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net   Follow us:  Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook  Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram  Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter  DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion   Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital   Check out our Podcasts:  Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify  Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts  Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic  Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer  Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein  #TheManilaTimes #worldnews  #popefrancis  #vatican

Transcript

00:00So, Pope Francis has finally left the Gemelli Hospital after 38 days, a long time.

00:09This is the first time that people have seen him since he entered the hospital on February

00:1514th.

00:16Now, the papacy is definitely entering a new phase, perhaps a final phase, regardless of

00:23how much longer he lives.

00:26He had double pneumonia, he's missing one lung, he's 88 years old.

00:34It seems to be almost impossible that the papacy will return to the way it was before

00:41he entered the hospital.

00:42He is not totally healed.

00:45He still has to convalesce for about two months, which is quite a long time, and he also has

00:52to continue taking medicines and also continue oxygen therapy.

00:57So all those things put together show that we are definitely at the end of a phase of

01:04a papacy, most probably the final phase, even if he lives for some time.

01:10It's very doubtful that he will be able to carry out his duties like before.

01:15There's been a lot of speculation about whether Pope Francis will resign after this health

01:21crisis.

01:22It's difficult to say.

01:24On the one hand, he has said that it should not become a fashion, is the word he used,

01:31for popes to resign instead of rule for life, as Pope Benedict did in 2013.

01:40That said, it depends on how he thinks that he will be able to run the church after this

01:47illness.

01:48He has to remember that we're in the midst of a holy year, which he opened, and will

01:53end at the end of this year.

01:56So I think that even if he has some thoughts of resigning, he probably would want to live

02:02out this year or continue running the church this year, because millions of pilgrims have

02:09already started arriving in Rome, and millions more are expected.

02:14And one of the main reasons they come, apart from passing through the holy door, is to

02:20see the pope.

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