Pope Francis said to envision a short pontificate for himself
On August 18, 2014, on his return flight from Korea, Pope Francis answered questions from 72 journalists of eleven different nationalities who had accompanied him over the course of his apostolic journey in Asia. The main topic was how to make a principled intervention to stop the jihadists in Iraq, but the Pope also mentioned the question of the duration of his pontificate and the possibility of his resignation. As Jean-Marie Guénois notes in the August 19 issue of Le Figaro: “This dialogue was an opportunity for the Pope to state for the third time since his election one and a half years ago that he will resign from his office when he feels that he no longer has the strength to carry out its responsibilities. ‘I will do the same thing,’ he said, citing the example of Benedict XVI. He added that at age 77 he anticipates a rather short pontificate: “It will last two or three years in all.”
The Vaticanist from Le Figaro continues: “Concerning the question of resignation, it appears that the idea is becoming increasingly clear in his mind. Mentioning the ‘noble, humble and courageous’ decision of his predecessor, he defended the fact that people will get used ‘to popes emeritus... even if the theologians don’t like it.’ Just as they have become accustomed to ‘bishops emeritus’ who were ‘exceptions’ just seventy years ago. Even when ‘your health is good,’ he remarked, ‘at a certain age the ability to govern well diminishes because the body becomes tired.’ Benedict XVI ‘therefore opened a door that is institutional and not exceptional.’
Concerning his worldwide popularity, the Pope said: “I experience it with gratitude to the Lord that his people are happy—I really do—and wishing the best for God’s people. I experience it as people’s generosity. This is true. Interiorly, I try to think about my sins and my mistakes, lest I have any illusions.” J.-M. Guénois comments: “Non devi crederti, an Argentine expression that his father often used and that is a rule of life for him, would be better translated as: ‘so as not to be fooled’. ‘Since I realize that this is not going to last long, two or three years and then... off to the house of the Father.’ And Francis burst out laughing. Some commentators think that this mention of ‘two or three years’ could refer to the time of his popularity, given the context of his answer. Yet we know that this pope does not hide from those close to him the fact that he sees himself as pope for a rather short time. The prospect of turning 80 could be, from this perspective, an important milestone and could explain the fact that Francis does not conserve his energies at all.”
(Source: Le Figaro – DICI no. 300 dated September 12, 2014)
