At 88 years old, an old man with many comorbidities, now with bronchial and lung infections, Pope Francis is clearly in his dying days. We can’t assign the number of days, months or years, unless one favors euthanasia, clearly immoral, but everything is up for grabs in the synodal church.
At any rate, Catholics and people of good will should be praying for the pope and for God’s will be done on earth as in heaven.
But why can’t the Vatican simply tell it as it is. Pope Francis is dying. We don’t know when nor can we predict it, unless this pope changes Church teaching on active euthanasia.
Instead, they condemn those who are speculating that His Holiness is going to resign or that his death is near, as though everything will return to as it was in 2013.
Nothing will return to as it was even two weeks ago.
I know from personal experience in my pastoral ministry and with my own mother, who was 93 when she died, that things change from day to day. My mom was in a coma days prior to her death, only to wake up, be clear and immediately eat a full meal with dessert to boot. Can we say she improved? No! Two days before her death, she was very clear, joking with family members and having a good time. Two days later she was gone.
We are in an interregnum of some kind even if Pope Francis returns to Santa Marta, the Vatican Motel Six. Remember that Pope John Paul II returned to his Apostolic Palace at the Vatican in order to die and he did die on Divine Mercy Sunday.
God bless Pope Francis and long live the pope.
We come before You in prayer, lifting up Your servant, Pope Francis, in his time of need. You are the
Source of all healing, and we ask You to surround him with Your loving presence, granting him
strength and recovery. May Your divine grace rest upon him, restoring his health and filling him with
renewed vigor to continue leading Your Church with compassion and wisdom.
“But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, declares the Lord.”
(Jeremiah 30:17)
We place Pope Francis into Your hands, trusting in Your eternal care. May he be comforted by the
love of the Church and the prayers of all the faithful. We ask, through the intercession of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, that his recovery be swift, and his spirit be strengthened in Your peace.
May Your will be done in his life, O Lord, and may Your healing power be with him always.
We offer this prayer in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You in the unity
of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
8 comments:
The Pope is likely close to death. He looks absolutely terrible in the pictures. Perhaps he should take a cue from Pius XII who had much to say about ordinary versus ordinary means to preserve one’s life. I find it strange that Vatican City cannot handle his final days. He should be in hospice at the Vatican
I meant to say ordinary versus extraordinary
I think that Pope Francis is entitled to privacy and may have directed the Vatican news department to keep things under wrap. That there are no photos of him is very peculiar nor an attempt to bring him to the window of the hospital so people can see him. That opens the Vatican to all the conspiracy theories about how bad things are and that he might already be dead, but those behind the scenes don't want to give up power. Who knows? But yes, if he is not to improve, even strong doses of antibiotics and steroids and diuretics don't need to be given and in fact simply post-pone the inevitable. God bless the pope and, more importantly, the Church during this interregnum period of time. Let's just pray that there isn't any skullduggery behind the scenes by his advisors all of whom have done the Church a disservice.
In Italy, the home of Machiavelli and thus Machiavellism, there is all kinds of speculation in the press about the pope's health, his desire to resign or that he is in a coma and on a ventilator. Cardinals are reacting to the Italy speculation and it would be very funny if not so sad.
But all of this is at least consistent with the pope's desire to make a mess, not just in life, but evidently in his dying and dead days!
Lol! Good one Father. I hope the College of Cardinals survey the state of the Church, objectively. The Church will always be with us, but if the Vatican continues to pursue a politucal path, She will continue to shed members. The USCCB shot itself in the foot this week!
Will the USCCB or the Vatican be commenting on this?
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/wisconsin-gov-tony-evers-has-eliminated-mother-replaced/
Agree, the situation is likely approaching gravely ill if it's not already there. Transition is difficult. Prayers for the Pope and the Church.
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