Pope Francis, feeling that he is close to death, moves to protect his legacy – politician

According to two people familiar with the matter, Francis has suffered intense pain and expressed in private fears that he does not do this this time. On Sunday, Gemelli’s doctors distressed the Pope by preventing him from delivering their regular Angelus sermon, which has rarely been lost, even when it is hospitalized, said one of the people and a third person. He is now acting completely in “doctors’ orders,” said one of them.

Initially, the Pope resisted going to the hospital, but in unequivocal terms they were not told that he was at risk of dying if they stayed in his room in the Vatican, the second person added.

As its health has deteriorated during the last month, Francis has also moved to complete the key initiatives and name sympathetic figures to key positions, after a progressive dyed papacy marked by Bitter ideological divisions.

Since becoming Pope in 2013, Francis has aimed to make the church more inclusive, opening key roles to LGBT+women. While that has caused a furious reaction of many conservatives, liberals complain that the reforms have been insufficient. Meanwhile, the Pope’s efforts to put an end to unbridled child abuse by clergy have produced mixed results.

Papal sUccess It will be political

On February 6, before being hospitalized, it extended the term of the Italian cardinal Giovanni Battista Re as a dean of the Faculty of Cardinals, a role that will supervise some preparations for a potential concelve, the secret meeting that determines the selection of a new Pope. The movement that controversial A scheduled vote on the next dean of the best cardinals intended to ensure that the process is developed according to Francis’s wishes, people said.

Re, a Vatican operator for a long time, is too old to participate in the conclave itself. However, it will be a fundamental figure in closed doors discussions that often take place before the conclave. That Francis selected him as Dean instead of a younger candidate suggests that he wanted to maintain a friendly face in the role that his legacy would defend, said one of the people.