Is Pope Francis Retiring Soon? Retirement Speculations Fueled By Health Issues

Rumors have been swirling that Pope Francis could soon retire as the Catholic leader appears to be suffering from health issues concerning his mobility.

In January, Pope Francis, 85, avoided going down the steps of the Vatican audience hall to greet the pilgrims. Instead, the pope greeted select guests who were brought up to the stage where he was sitting. He told his audience that “an inflamed ligament in the knee” made it painful to walk or go up and down the stairs. At the time, the pope added that the pain would soon pass.

However, in April, the pope said his right knee was “still not healing.” He was seen using a wheelchair in public for the first time in May while meeting an audience, including a group of nuns.

Pope Francis’ mobility issues have led to speculations about whether he might soon consider stepping down from his position. Rumors about a possible retirement were also amplified after the pope called for the addition of 21 new cardinals, 16 of whom should be younger than 80 and would be eligible to vote in a conclave that will elect his successor.

In addition to installing new cardinals, the pontiff also announced he would also host two days of talks where he would brief the cardinals about his plans to reform the Vatican bureaucracy, including a document that would allow women to head offices in the Vatican, impose term limits on priestly Vatican employees and position the Holy See as an institution in service of local churches. The document will go into effect on June 12.

The pope has also scheduled a trip to the Italian city of L'Aquila where he will visit the tomb of Celestine V, a hermit pope who resigned in 1294. Pope Francis’ predecessor, Benedict XVI, also visited the tomb in 2009 prior to resigning from the job.

Some Vatican watchers said the pope’s plans show his urgency to prepare the Vatican for the end of his pontificate.

“What is clear is that his pontificate has entered the declining final phase,” Massimo Faggioli, a Villanova University professor of theology, told the Washington Post. “He is aware that he is approaching the end of his pontificate.”

Pope Francis will become the oldest sitting pope since Leo XIII who was aged 93 when he died in 1903 if he stays in position until late October this year.