To the delight of many, and perhaps the consternation of a few, the wheelchair-bound Pope Francis defied persistent rumors Sunday by not announcing his resignation during a visit to the tomb of the last pontiff to voluntarily step down before Pope Benedict XVI, instead offering locals a message of mercy and consolation amid suffering.
The oldest member of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Jozef Tomko, died Aug. 8 in Rome at the age of 98.
Pope Francis is asking Catholics to join him in praying for the faithful in China.
Retired Pope Benedict XVI has hinted at his death in a condolence message for a former colleague who was a professor in Regensburg, Germany.
Retired Pope Benedict XVI has criticized representatives of the Catholic Church in his home country, Germany.
Saying he was acting for the good of the unity of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has restored limits on the celebration of the Mass according to the Roman Missal in use before the Second Vatican Council, overturning or severely restricting permissions St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI had given to celebrate the so-called Tridentine-rite Mass.
Archbishop Georg Gänswein, the pope emeritus’ secretary, is denying media reports that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI lost his voice.
In more than seven years as leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has issued numerous new laws and guidelines for handling accusations of clerical sexual abuse and its cover-up by church officials.
In an interview with the German newspaper Südkurier, the personal secretary of retired Pope Benedict XVI, Archbishop Gänswein, also said that the pope emeritus’ medication has been reduced.
After rumors in the German press Aug. 3 suggesting Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was suffering from a facial infection, the Vatican has confirmed the retired pontiff is sick but insisted his condition is normal for someone his age.
