Pope fights pneumonia and resignation rumors

There has been widespread speculation about Pope Francis's health, with the 88-year-old pontiff battling pneumonia in the hospital for nearly three weeks.

Articles detailing the proceedings of the papal funeral have appeared in a number of newspapers. Francis may follow in Benedict XVI's footsteps and resign, according to a handful of prominent Catholic cardinals who have discussed the matter publicly, as The Sun reported.

Still, Francis is very much alive; new information from the Vatican suggests his health may be improving, despite a setback on Monday.

And if the indications emanating from the Gemelli hospital in Rome, where the pope has been receiving treatment since February 14 are to be believed, he has no immediate intentions to step down.

From Friends

"He's always been a fighter," said Elisabetta Pique, a personal friend and biographer of Francis. She said the former Argentine Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, elected pope in 2013, doesn't have any plans to step down.

"He doesn't give in under pressure," said Pique, a correspondent for the Buenos Aires-based La Nacion newspaper. "The more pressure they put on him, the more likely he won't give in."

Only a few days following the pope's hospitalization did speculations on his probable resignation begin. In a radio interview on February 20, retired priest Gianfranco Ravasi of Italy stated that Pope Francis might step down from his position.

While questioned about the likelihood of Francis's resignation at a Vatican press conference, French Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline—who is occasionally mentioned as a potential successor to Francis—replied: "Everything is possible."

'Distant Hypothesis'

Francis, who has avoided many of the papacy's ostentatious practices in an effort to bring the traditionally conservative Catholic Church into the modern era, has laughed off rumors about his health.

Following a hospital visit with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on February 19, Corriere della Sera reported that he informed her that: "Some have been praying for the pope to go to heaven, but the Lord of the Harvest thinks it best to keep me here."

According to Austen Ivereigh, who collaborated with the pope on a book in 2020, the remark may have been playful, but it conveyed a serious message.

"What he's saying is actually this is about God's will, not anybody else's," Ivereigh said. "In other words, you may want a new pope - but, look, I'm still alive, I'm still here." The pope has ruled out resigning in the past, calling it in 2024 a "distant hypothesis."