I think that a pontificate with a predetermined time obliges cardinals to practically draw up a plan of government for their pontificate; it also alienates some cardinals who would not be willing to follow a schedule set by a group.
it is also possible to imagine that they would maintain this change as the successors of Paul VI preserved their changes in conclave ** (setting age limits), and maintained the abandonment of the papal tiara that occurred in this pontificate.
Anything can be imagined but, short of an exercise of the Pope's extraordinary magisterium, he can't bind any future Pope.
Yes, there have been several. Just do a Goggle search on "papal conclave plagues" and you can find a list of them. During these times the College of Cardinals was not as international as it is today, and the popes tended to be, if not Roman, then Italian, as the Pope is the Bishop of Rome. The rules for election were not as strict as they are today, so the conclave might move to some other city in Italy to be able to meet without fear of the plague. That raises a major concern: by Church Law, the burial of the Pope must take place within 4 to 6 days of the Pope's death; the Conclave MUST take place no sooner than 15 days but no later than 20 days of his death. An elector who is unavoidably delayed (such as through illness) may be admitted after the election has begun but not after the election has concluded. MOST IMPORTANTLY: The election MUST take place in the Sistine Chapel. If for some reason that is not possible, it MUST take place within the territory of Vatican City, provided all the norms and rules of secrecy are observed. (For example, ALL wi-fi systems in Vatican City are turned off.) I don't know if Castel Gandolfo is considered by law to be part of the territory of Vatican City; if so, the election MAY take place there if all of Rome is isolated. This means that any effort to have the election remotely, such as through Skype, etc. are forbidden. The electors MUST be there in person to participate in the election. If they choose to not participate due to fear of catching or transmitting COVID, that is their choice, and the election shall proceed without them. I BELIEVE (but can't find confirmation) that a majority of the eligible cardinal electors are required to be present to form a quorum. To me this is important, because if a majority of eligible electors are unable (by law) or unwilling to attend the conclave due to COVID restrictions, the group responsible for organizing must confirm this fact and proceed accordingly with the Cardinal Electors who are present; if this turns out to be less than half of the eligible electors I don't know if the election can proceed. True. The Papacy is a royal office -- the longest continuously operating monarchy in the world, I believe -- and is recognized as a monarchy by all the nations of the world. As such the Pope does not "resign"; he abdicates. This means surrendering all authority involved with the royal office to a designated successor. Benedict did not lose all the spiritual fruits of the Papacy with his abdication, but he DID surrender the corporal and temporal authorities associated with that office. (As a not-quite-correct example, consider the case of former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. He has been laicized. He can never be totally returned to the lay state, as he is "a priest forever according to the Order of Melchizedek". If he should repent in the eyes of G_D, at some time he may be admitted to heaven, where he will be recognized as a priest by the angels. If he should NOT repent and refuses to make reparations and be reconciled with G_D, then he will condemn himself to hell, where all of the demons will recognize him as a priest and treat him accordingly. However, in this world he has been stripped of his canonical authority and permissions to perform those functions reserved to the priesthood, such as celebrating Mass or hearing confessions. Benedict, when he dies, will be recognized by the angels as a Pope and treated accordingly. However, he has surrendered his authority to legally appoint bishops or do other actions reserved for the Pope. He is still a Bishop, though, and can still participate in priestly ordinations or in the ceremonies of appointing new bishops, as well as hearing confessions and witnessing marriages.) Francis MAY abdicate if the pain of his sciatica grows to the point where he is no longer able to effectively perform the duties of his office. If so, it is to be hoped that he will join Benedict in the monastery inside the Vatican in order to unite his sufferings and prayers to the Cross for the benefit of the Church.
You can bet that if Francis is going, he and his friends believe that they have more than enough votes for a chosen and 'suitable' successor. He will be a relatively young cardinal who has shown himself to be a solid Francis supporter so that they can consolidate and extend Francis' 'reforms'. Undoubtedly he will have already agreed to be the successor and to play his role. My guess is that the chosen man is Cardinal Tagle who is 64, who is a solid Francis man and was appointed by Francis to be the Prefect of the Congregation of the Evangelisation of Peoples.
Analysis: What’s Behind Rumors That Pope Francis Will Resign? According to one source, “no one expects the Pope to die or resign anytime soon. But everyone is preparing not to be taken by surprise when it happens.” Pope Francis gives his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Hall at Vatican City on August 25, 2021. (photo: Vatican Media / Vatican Media) Andrea Gagliarducci/CNAVaticanAugust 30, 2021 VATICAN CITY — Despite ongoing rumors, there is no confirmation that Pope Francis is drafting a document that defines the role and tasks of a Pope Emeritus. Nor are there any signs that Pope Francis may soon give up the Petrine ministry, as Benedict XVI did before him. Yet, some sources in the Vatican continue to believe that these scenarios are possible, especially since they seem intertwined: The rumors on Pope Francis’ resignation are born of the rumors of a possible document on the status of the Pope Emeritus, which also prompts a discussion on an eventual conclave. If a document on the role and functions of the Pope Emeritus is under study, it is a closely held secret. A reliable Vatican source says that such an undertaking cannot be ruled out because of the possibility that the Pope is drafting the document personally and that he will submit it to the offices responsible for publication only once the draft is completed. The pressures to better define the status of a Pope Emeritus began some time ago. At one point, the theologian Andrea Grillo even went as far as to ask for an “institutional death” The need to better regulate the figure of a Pope Emeritus has come from circles that believed themselves to be supporters of Pope Francis and were concerned that Benedict XVI‘s public declaration could create confusion surrounding Francis’ authority. This group was especially critical when Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, private secretary of Benedict XVI, described the current situation as “exceptional,” because of what he described as an “active pontificate” and a “contemplative” one. Benedict XVI decided not to legislate on what his role would be after his resignation. But he decided to continue wearing the white cassock and taking “Pope Emeritus” as a title. This differed from the traditional idea that a Pope would return to being a cardinal once he renounces the pontificate. Pius XII, who left a letter of resignation if the Nazis implemented the plan to kidnap him, thought so. “When they arrive, they will take Cardinal Pacelli, and not Pope Pius XII,” he is supposed to have said. According to Italian theologian Giovanni Cavalcoli, Benedict XVI continued to wear white because he considered the papacy a second episcopal ordination. Bishops emeritus, in the end, keep their emblems and titles. The same is with the Pope Emeritus, according to this interpretation. In this way, Benedict XVI also made sure not to influence the conclave that would have chosen a successor. A cardinal, albeit a former pope, could participate in the pre-conclave meetings of the cardinals and, therefore, direct a successor's choice. Benedict XVI never did that. What Pope Francis will do remains a mystery. Until now, Pope Francis has never wanted to define the figure of Pope Emeritus from a juridical point of view. However, he had maintained a cordial relationship with Benedict XVI and has always consented when the Pope Emeritus asked for the possibility of expressing himself. In one of his first interviews with him in 2014, he said that “the Pope Emeritus is not a statute and takes part in the life of the Church.” Why, then, is the idea of institutionalizing the figure of Pope Emeritus coming forward now? There seem to be various reasons. The first concerns the health of Pope Francis. After his surgery July 4, the Pope did appear vigorous and quite active in the general audiences and the August Angelus. Additionally, he is preparing a fairly taxing journey to Budapest and Slovakia. Even so, rumors of the Pope possibly having a “degenerative” and “chronic” disease (in the words of the usually well informed site Il Sismografo) have accelerated discussions about the nature of the next conclave. The push for a reform of the conclave rules began from pro-Francis authors. First, Alberto Melloni and then Massimo Faggioli argued in favor of a conclave with a prolonged isolation of the cardinals, right from the pre-conclave meetings, which happen semi-publicly for a week before secret proceedings at the Sistine Chapel. Both also argued for a period of time between the pronouncement of the elected and his acceptance so that the elected Pope can be scrutinized for “skeletons in the closet” that could damage his pontificate. Then there is an ongoing legal discussion regarding what some experts believe to be critical shortcomings. Italian professor of Canon Law at the University of Bologna Geraldina Boni drafted a study on this subject. Boni, in her study, which has been discussed in Vatican circles, presents “the reasons for the need and urgency of an intervention from the supreme legislator of the Church (the Pope) in order to fill two legal gaps: ”the regulations of the Apostolic See when the Pope cannot exercise, temporarily or permanently, his office because of “an irreversible impediment,” and the regulations of the “juridical status of a Roman pontiff who resigned from his office.” In short: what to do when a Pope has a disease that affects his intellect and his will? And what is the status of the Pope Emeritus? Growing conversations about Boni’s essay led to rumors of Pope Francis' resignation. The logic is this: If we have begun to discuss the status of the Pope Emeritus, then it means that the Pope wants to resign. The fact is that there have never been any signs that Pope Francis wants to give up. Francis told Nelson Castro, in an interview in the book La Salud de los Papas (”The Health of the Popes“), that he sees himself dying ”as Pope, or in office or emeritus." According to an Argentine priest who has known Pope Francis since his days in Buenos Aires, “there is only one reason why Pope Francis would resign: so that he can influence the process to choose his successor.” It is a somewhat harsh reading of Pope Francis’ personality. However, if the supposedly new rules establish that the Pope Emeritus falls in the ranks of the cardinals, his presence in the pre-conclave general congregations could certainly influence the choice of his fellow cardinals. How much of all this is gossip, and how much is true? First, it is true that the Pope's health has suffered a severe blow and that Pope Francis himself has begun to speed up some decisions in case something happens. Vatican sources told CNA that they now expect a very rapid closure of the seemingly never-ending process of the reform of the Curia, which could happen between the end of September and the beginning of October; a new consistory for the creation of 5 or 6 new cardinals at the beginning of October; and then a “series of decisions with harsh tones,” similar to the publication of Traditionis Custodes. According to one source, “no one expects the Pope to die or resign anytime soon. But everyone is preparing not to be taken by surprise when it happens.” https://www.ncregister.com/cna/analysis-what-s-behind-rumors-that-pope-francis-will-resign
https://www.vatican.va/content/fran...internationalcatholic-legislatorsnetwork.html ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS TO THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE MEETING PROMOTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC LEGISLATORS NETWORK Clementine Hall Friday, 27 August 2021 I am sorry for not speaking to you while standing, but I am still in a time of post-operative recovery and need to remain seated. Please excuse me........
Taylor Marshall has just brought out a podcast on the subject. He mentions a story that he had from a ‘reliable source’ that Benedict was approached as he struggled to come to terms with all the scandals. It was suggested to him that should he resign he would be followed by a conservative Pope as the college of cardinals was conservative-leaning. It was, Taylor maintains, a ruse to replace him with a liberal pope. I don’t know how much I can believe this because Benedict looked very frail at that time and would likely not have lived long had he stayed in office. Interesting though , no?
Pope Francis scotches resignation talk, says is planning more foreign trips Argentine pontiff dismisses media reports that he might resign following surgery earlier this year, saying it "didn't even cross my mind." Pope Francis has dismissed media reports that he might resign following his surgery earlier this year, saying in an interview broadcast Wednesday that it "didn't even cross my mind." As if to prove his energy and commitment to the job, the 84-year-old announced further foreign trips, to Greece, Cyprus and Malta, and confirmed he hoped to attend the COP26 climate conference in November. "I don't know where they got it from last week that I was going to resign!" he told Spanish radio station Cope in a wide-ranging interview, referring to media reports. He said that "it didn't even cross my mind" to follow the path of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, who in 2013 became the first pontiff to resign in 600 years. "Whenever a pope is ill, there is always a breeze or a hurricane of conclave," he added, referring to the meeting of cardinals called to elect a new pope. Francis underwent an operation on July 4 after suffering from a type of diverticulitis, an inflammation of pockets that develop in the lining of the intestine. Asked how he was feeling, the pope said, laughing: "I'm still alive." "Now I can eat everything, which was not possible before with the diverticula," the pontiff said. "I still have the post-operative medications, because the brain has to register that it has 33 centimetres less intestine... But besides that, I have a normal life." 'No script' The pope is due to visit Hungary and Slovakia on September 12-15, and the official programme includes a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Asked what he would like to say to Orban, whose anti-migration views contrast with his own, Francis appeared to avoid the question. "I don't know if I am going to meet him. I know that authorities will come to greet me," he said. He added: "One of my ways is not to go around with a script: when I am in front of a person, I look him in the eyes and let things come out." He gave no dates for his planned visits to Greece, Cyprus and Malta, but said he was preparing for the climate talks in Glasgow. "It all depends on how I feel at the time. But in fact, my speech is already being prepared, and the plan is to be there," said Francis, who has been outspoken on the need to tackle global warming. COP26 is the biggest climate summit since the 2015 Paris negotiation, which the Buenos Aires born pontiff said "was the summum [pinnacle] in becoming globally aware." "Then what happened? Fear set in," he said. "And slowly, in the subsequent meetings, they went backwards. I hope that Glasgow will now raise its sights a bit and bring us more in line." China is not easy In his interview with radio Cope, the pope also defended the Vatican's controversial agreement with China that allows both parties a say in appointing Catholic bishops. "China is not easy, but I am convinced that we should not give up dialogue," he said. China's roughly 12 million Catholics have for decades been split between a government-run association, whose clergy were chosen by the atheist Communist Party, and an unofficial underground church loyal to the Vatican. The 2018 agreement, which was renewed last year, has sparked strident criticism in the United States, which said it has failed to shield Chinese Catholics from persecution. "You can be deceived in dialogue, you can make mistakes, all that... but it is the way. Closed-mindedness is never the way," the pope said. "What has been achieved so far in China was at least dialogue... some concrete things like the appointment of new bishops, slowly... but these are also steps that can be questionable." He noted the efforts made by Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, the Vatican's top diplomat under Popes Paul VI and John-Paul II, to build bridges with then Soviet states in eastern Europe. "Slowly, slowly, slowly, he was achieving reserves of diplomatic relations which in the end meant appointing new bishops and taking care of God's faithful people," the pope said. https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/amp...alk-says-is-planning-more-foreign-trips.phtml
I tried to go to mass this morning. No priest lay person leading. Everyone wearing masks. I got 8b early without a mask, because someone tried to stop me entering yesterday. It was all about ecology. And Pope Francis. I groaned aloud several times. It was horrible the Ape of the Church. Horrific.
