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Pontiffs who resign are humble, says Pope Francis

Pope Francis, who has often said he may step down in the future if health problems prevent him from leading the Catholic Church, on Sunday praised the humility of one of the few popes in history to resign voluntarily rather than rule for the entirety of the world. life.

L’Aquila, the central Italian city that Francis briefly visited, is the burial place of Celestine V, who resigned as pope in 1294 after just five months to return to his life as a hermit, establishing a papal prerogative.

Pope Benedict, who in 2013 became the first pontiff in some 600 years to voluntarily resign, visited L’Aquila four years before stepping down. In the past, Francis has also praised the courage of Benedict XVI.

When the Vatican in June announced Francis’ trip to L’Aquila – to inaugurate an annual “pardon feast” – it fueled speculation that a conjunction of events – including the inauguration of new cardinals on Saturday and meetings starting on Monday on the new constitution of the Vatican – could foreshadow an announcement of resignation.

However, in an exclusive interview with Reuters last month, Francis, 85, chuckled at the idea, saying it “never crossed my mind”, leaving open the possibility that he could step down for health reasons in a distant future.

In the homily of a mass for thousands of people in a central square, Francis noted that, in the Divine Comedy, Dante condemned Celestino for having performed the poet called “The Great Refusal”.

But Francis, who prayed silently before Celestino’s tomb, said that in giving up power, Celestino showed the strength that comes from humility.

“In the eyes of men, the humble are seen as weak and losers, but in reality they are the true winners because they are the only ones who completely trust in the Lord and know his will,” Francis said.

The pope, who has used a wheelchair and a cane for the past few months because of a knee condition, sat through most of the Mass but read his homily in a strong voice and often departed from the script.

He told the crowd how the pilot of the helicopter that brought him from Rome had to circle around for some time because of thick fog in the mountainous area before finding an opening in the fog. He likened it to enjoying an opening of God in one’s life.

While Francis has quelled rumors that he plans to step down soon, the visit underscored the Catholic Church’s need to regulate the status of pontiffs who step down.

L’Aquila was hit by a devastating earthquake in 2009 that killed 309 people, injured more than 1,500 and destroyed many buildings.

At the start of Sunday’s visit, Francis donned a gray fire brigade helmet and was led through the ruins of the city’s cathedral, which is being rebuilt.

Source: CNN Brasil

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