The Pope spoke again about his possible resignation and even played with a name for his successor

In an interview, the Pope said that “the Pope will go to World Youth Day in Lisbon next year. Either Francis goes or John XXIV goes, but the Pope goes. Francis thus launched a new hypothesis on the matter his probable resignation. A clue that included a nonexistent successor, whom he baptized with an emblematic name, that of St. John XXIII, who called the Second Vatican Council shortly after his election in 1959, which reconciled the Church with the modern world. Some consider him the most revolutionary pontiff of the last century in the Church.

Jorge Bergoglio has chosen some journalists who interview him, almost all of them women, to talk about the hypothesis of his resignation. He has now pointed him to the Portuguese branch of the chain CNN: “Not now”, he said, “in the future we will see”, due to his health problems that prevent him from carrying out his public activity well. He will turn 86 in December.

He had already told Valentina Alasraki, from the Mexican network Televisa, that “if the time comes, I will resign from the ministry of bishop of Rome and I will be bishop emeritus of Rome”. In this way he liquidated the condition of pope emeritus invented by Benedict XVI, Joseph Ratzinger, because “Dad there is only one”.

Regarding his resignation, he said “not now, when I feel that the Lord is asking me, yes”.

Baptizing his successor John XXIV sounds like a joke, but it’s actually a nice program and shows that Francis is carefully planning the before and after of his resignation.

It means remembering that his pontificate is profoundly inspired by that of John XXIII and the Second Vatican Council, although Bergoglio is careful to point out its continuity with those who followed him: Paul VI, John Paul I, Saint John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

The alleged John XXIV today has the appearance of the favorite to triumph in the future conclave that will probably meet in the Sistine Chapel with Jorge Bergoglio still alive and fresh his resignation, two weeks after his resignation.

It is not true that whoever enters the Conclave as a virtual Pope leaves a cardinal. This was not the case with Pius XII, Paul VI and Benedict XVI, powerful figures of the Curia who the favorites came in and the potatoes went out.

The next will probably be Cardinal Matteo Maria Zupy, a Roman of the powerful community of Sant’Egidio, archbishop of Bologna, who will turn 67 on 11 October. He was elected president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference by the will of Francis, who as Bishop of Rome and Pope is the natural leader of the largest assembly of bishops in the Church.

As the Italians say, “the air that pulls” pushes in that direction. Zupy has already been interviewed since Roman Observatorythe Vatican newspaper, and from Corriere della Serathe main Italian morning newspaper.

Zupy is likeable and very intellectually gifted. He explains himself simply, he quotes the Pope several times and he certainly is an iron bergogliano. “On the side of the poor” is his direct motto.

The Pope pulls the strings of his succession and prepares the rules that will regulate the burning issue of the Pope’s resignation. The great conservative theologian Joseph Ratzinger resigned in 2013 at the age of 85 and the causes of his resignation are still speculated.

There is no doubt that for more than a year he had decided to resign, besieged by the conflicts that emanated daily from the cockfight between the cardinals of the Curia. But he also had two strokes when he was a cardinal, a disease in the family, and he believed he wouldn’t survive long if he didn’t take care of himself.

Ratzinger was right because he ruled eight years as Pope and is about to turn 10 as an emeritus. At the age of 95 he is slowly dying out in the monastery of the Vatican gardens that he had prepared in his time as his residence.

The Vatican confirmed this Wednesday that within a week Francisco he will make an apostolic journey to Kazakhstanin Central Asia, whose main purpose is to participate in an Interreligious Congress with the leaders of the main religions.

The main objective was to organize a meeting with the patriarch of Moscow and all the Russias, Kirill, to promote an understanding between the invaded Ukraine and the Russian aggressor.

Kirill strongly supports the Russian invasion and is a close adviser to the president Vladimir Putin, an atheist converted to the Orthodox faith. The Orthodox Church has as faithful the vast majority of the 150 million inhabitants of Russia.

But the interview will not take place, unless there is any last-minute news. Patriarch Kirill was offended that Francis said this shouldn’t be “Putin’s altar boy”.

The Argentine Pope announced two days ago that doctors had forbidden him to travel to Ukraine and Moscow to carry out his planned peace mediation. He explained that the reason was that he resented still the right knee during the trip to Canada.

It sounds like the announcement of the trip to Kazakhstan in a week a contradictionbut perhaps his Asian tour will not force him to extraordinary efforts.

The Pope knows how to stand up, but generally uses a wheelchair when traveling.

Vatican correspondent.

LG