Pope Francis’ Legacy
At 88 years old, Pope Francis has been placed in critical condition after being diagnosed with pneumonia in his lungs. Francis, who has been pope since 2013, has faced multiple health challenges. This 10-day stay in the hospital marks the longest Francis has been hospitalized during his papacy. This news comes at a tense political moment across the world. Politics in the Vatican cannot be compared to politics in America; however, Francis has spoken out against President Donald Trump multiple times. What could a new papacy bring to the political scope of the world, and which Cardinals are currently front runners for the title?
In Dec. 2023 Francis approved a Catholic priest to bless gay couples. This marked him as the first pope to make such a statement, saying “Being homosexual isn’t a crime.” This aligns with many of Francis’ attempts to make the Catholic Church more inclusive. Francis is known for his acceptance of others, and belief that the church should do nothing but love. During prayer Francis said, “To love as the Lord loves us means to appreciate the people beside us and to respect their freedom, to love them as they are, gratuitously.” These statements and beliefs are what is said to make him liberal in the church.
Recently, Francis has disagreed with Trump. In a letter to the U.S. bishops, the pope criticized the Trump administration’s mass deportation policies. It is not entirely unusual for a pope to be political, popes used to be important parts of monarchies. However the pope has the most power in the Catholic Church, and it is worth noting that a new pope could shift the church in one direction or another.
As of Feb. 22 Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez of Philadelphia has called for prayers for the pope’s health, “I call for everyone throughout the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to join in prayer for Pope Francis as he continues to battle serious illness.”
This is a prayer used by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for Francis’ health
“O God, shepherd and ruler of all the faithful,
look favorably on your servant Francis,
whom you have set at the head of your Church as her shepherd;
Grant, we pray, that by word and example
he may be of service to those over whom he presides
so that, together with the flock entrusted to his care,
he may come to everlasting life.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the
unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.”
Due to Francis’ condition, questions about who is in contention to be the next pope have begun amongst the public. When the pope dies, it is up to the cardinals to vote for a new pope. The next pope will be selected from a baptized Catholic man, most likely a cardinal, who is under the age of 80. This is not a new process, and it can take days, weeks or months. While the papacy has survived thousands of years, this next vote for the papacy may be rather interesting due to the complexity of Francis’ progressive ideology. While there is no current bid to be the next pope – that is an excommunicable offense – there are some cardinals whose names have been tossed around.
Who is in the Running?
Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, archbishop of Bologna, is politically very similar to Francis, sharing the same beliefs of showing love and open arms to the LGBTQ+ community. He has encouraged the church to do more to help the poor, no matter what circumstances they may come from. Zuppi held prayer for Francis in Italy on Feb. 23. Francis has trusted Zuppi in the past, sending him on a mission to Ukraine in 2023 in an attempt to bring peace to Ukraine during the Russian-Ukraine conflict. Zuppi’s combined peace efforts and progressive LGBTQ+ views make him a likely contender among those who wish to see Francis’ views remain prevalent in the church.
Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke is among the American archbishops who stand a chance at being the new replacement. Burke was born in Wisconsin and shares opposite political views from Francis. Burke and Francis have clashed heads in the past. Burke was one of five conservative cardinals who stood up against Francis’ teachings on LGBTQ+ and women. Francis later evicted Burke from the Vatican for speaking out against him. The papacy is holy and speaking out against the pope is not taken lightly, however Burke’s strong opposing beliefs may make him an appealing choice for the cardinals looking for the church to go in a less progressive direction.
While these two cardinals may appear to be frontrunners right now, there is no way to know until white smoke rises from the Vatican. The Catholic Church is a church of tradition and modernity. The balance between those two values may be ever-changing, but for now the Vatican stays in prayer for Francis’ health.
