Last week, Newsmax reported that Pope Francis is dying. They claim that “the secretary of one of the most powerful Vatican Cardinals” conveyed this sensitive information to their correspondent, John Gizzi.
I’ve consulted with several Doctors of the Church. Sadly, they have confirmed Mr. Gizzi’s report. There is a 100% chance that Pope Francis will die.
St. Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor: “It is therefore evident that as the rebellion of the carnal appetite against the spirit is a punishment of our first parents’ sin, so also are death and all defects of the body.” (Summa Theologica II-II, 164.1)
St. Augustine, the Doctor of Grace: “Death, proceeding by ordinary generation from the first man, is the punishment of all who are born of him…” (The City of God XIII, 6)
St. Alphonsus Ligouri, the Most Zealous Doctor: “It is, therefore, quite certain that we are all condemned to die…” (Preparation for Death IV, 2)
St. Gregory of Nyssa: “Once death was mingled with [man’s] nature, mortality was passed on to all generations of his children. Hence we are born into a life of death, for, in a certain sense, our very life has died. Our life is indeed dead because we have been deprived of immortality.” (Against Eunomius)
St. Thérèse of Lisieux: “The world’s thy ship and not thy home.” (Autobiography)
Yes, Pope Francis is dying. So am I. So are you.
According to Mr. Gizzi’s Vatican insider, the Holy Father is going to die by the end of 2022. Which, for all I know, could be true. Francis is 84; life expectancy in his native Argentina is 76. With every passing year, he’s beating the odds.
Mr. Gizzi’s insider may suggest that Francis has some terminal illness. (I don’t know; the article is behind a paywall.) That’s also plausible. Again, the Holy father is an octogenarian. He suffers from a ciatica condition and was recently treated for colon diverticulitis, among other chronic ailments.
The Pope’s health has been poor since he ascended the Chair of St. Peter in 2014. Six years as Vicar of Christ and Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church would be enough to kill anyone.
What’s to say he’ll die of natural causes, anyway? Popes meet all kinds of strange ends these days.
Peter (d. 67) was crucified upside-down.
Sixtus II (d. 258) was decapitated during Mass.
John VIII (d. 882) was poisoned by a priest, with whom the pope was dining. When the poison didn’t work quickly enough, the assassin bashed in the pontifical skull with a hammer.
John X (d. 928) was suffocated with a pillow. His murderer was an agent of Marozia, the mistress of John’s predecessor, Sergius III. Marozia and Sergius’s son succeeded John to the papal throne, reigning as John XI.
Lucius II (d. 1145) was hit with a rock while leading his troops against an uprising in Rome.
Pope Formusus (d. 896) died peacefully, but enjoyed a very eventful afterlife. One of his successors, Stephen VI, came under the influence of Formosus’s old enemies. They convinced Stephen to dig up his successor, dress the body in full papal vestments, and put it on trial—a grim affair known as the Cadavar Synod. Formosus was found guilty of perjury; his corpse was then mutilated and thrown in the Tiber.
Stephen VI (d. 897) was strangled to death in prison for desecrating the remains of his predecessor Formusus.
Mr. Gizzi’s insider also claims that the Vatican is preparing for the papal conclave that will choose Francis’s successor. Again, he’s right. But they’ve been preparing for the next conclave since the day Francis was elected.
There’s a permanent position within the Curia called the Carmerlengo of the Holy Roman Church. His job it is to oversee the transition from one papacy to the next. (If you’ve seen Angels and Demons, Ewan McGregor’s character is carmerlengo.)
In 2019, the Pope appointed the current office-holder, Cardinal Kevin Farrell. When Francis dies, Cardinal Farrell will be called to his side. Traditionally, he would tap Francis’s head three times with a silver hammer while calling his baptismal name: “Jorge, are you asleep? Jorge, are you asleep? Jorge, are you asleep?” If Pope Francis didn’t wake up, Cardinal Farrell would officially pronounce him dead. It’s not known if this practice is continued today but, in any event, the Carmelengo would then take the Ring of the Fisherman from the Pope’s finger and break it, signaling the official end of his papacy.
Cardinal Farrell will take charge as acting sovereign of Vatican City during sede vacante, or “empty seat”: the period between the death/resignation of one pope and the election of the next. He will also help to convene the papal conclave, organize Francis’s funeral, and announce the new pope’s election.
According to the Fount of All Knowledge (Wikipedia), the first known carmelengo was Jordan of Santa Susanna, who was appointed by Pope Eugene III around the year 1150. Wiki says that Jordan “was described by John of Salisbury as mean and parsimonious and dressing in filthy rags as a gesture of austerity.”
Anyway, Newsmax needn’t fear. The Church has been prepared for Pope Francis’s death for about 870 years now.
It’s possible Mr. Gizzi’s “insider” knows something we don’t. Maybe Francis has been diagnosed with some terminal disease that makes it more likely he’ll die within a year. But, then, who cares?
Francis is an old man. Whenever the Good Lord decides to take him, it won’t come as a surprise. And the Church is fully prepared for the period of sede vacante and the election of Francis’s successor.
There’s nothing of any value in the Newsweek article—just anonymous gossip about an old, sickly priest. I’m sure we can all find something better to read this Advent.
I’m halfway through Peter Kreeft’s The Wisdom of the Heart, then on to Scott Hahn’s Joy to the World. Mrs. Davis is reading The Reed of God by Caryll Houselander and re-reading Light upon Light, a beatiful collection of Christmastide devotions. We highly recommend all four. I’ve also just discovered Father Lasance’s My Prayer-Book, which immediately became my favorite.
Have a blessed Advent, folks. Peace and the Good!
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