It’s time for Pope Francis to step down, as evidenced by the 87-year-old pontiff’s last-minute decision to skip his homily during Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City this weekend.
“Francis had been expected to deliver a homily halfway through the service and a prepared text had been distributed to journalists,” The Associated Press reported Sunday.
“But when an aide presented Francis with his glasses to begin reading, the pope made clear he wouldn’t deliver the remarks, leaving the crowd waiting in silence … Vatican officials didn’t immediately explain why,” the report said.
It’s an inconvenient truth some Catholics don’t want to admit, but the reason likely had something to do with the elderly pope’s health problems.
“Hobbled by bad knees and persistent respiratory problems, Francis also didn’t participate in the procession of cardinals around the obelisk in the piazza at the start of the Mass,” the AP reported.
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The pope’s abrupt nonparticipation in an event that kicks off Holy Week — the most sacred period in Christianity — is raising more doubts over how much longer the pope can remain in his post.
As it is, Francis has fueled controversy during his 10-year stint for supporting liberal agendas that are contrary to traditional Catholic doctrine.
This pope has embraced transgenderism and same-sex marriages and nagged Catholics to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Pope Francis invited 44 transgender men to have lunch in the Vatican.
Do you think this is appropriate for the Pope and the Catholic church? pic.twitter.com/7RSWahUlvX
— Reader + (@readerplus_) November 22, 2023
One of the most inane moments in his tenure occurred in 2019 when Francis criticized building a wall to stem the illegal immigration crisis ravaging the United States.
While he did not mention former President Donald Trump by name, it was widely viewed as a condemnation of the 45th president’s efforts to build a wall on the nation’s southern border.
“Builders of walls, be they made of razor wire or bricks, will end up becoming prisoners of the walls they build,” Francis said in March 2019, according to Reuters.
“I realize that with this problem, a government has a hot potato in its hands, but it must be resolved differently, humanely, not with razor wire,” he said.
As a reminder, the pope lives safely ensconced behind the walls of Vatican City and his has own private army that guards him around the clock.
At the time, Francis also blamed capitalism for the major problems of the world, including poverty, the migrant crisis and war.
However, he said nothing about the destructiveness of socialism, which has devastated once-thriving nations such as Venezuela and thrown countless people into poverty.
Another low moment came in January 2022, when Francis urged Catholics to get vaccinated against COVID-19, calling it a “moral obligation.”
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In October 2023, the pope — an environmental alarmist — also blamed the United States for climate change.
“If we consider that emissions per individual in the United States are about two times greater than those of individuals living in China, and about seven times greater than the average of the poorest countries, we can state that a broad change in the irresponsible lifestyle connected with the Western model would have a significant long-term impact,” Francis wrote in an 11-page letter.
The Catholic bishop of Tucson, Arizona, thanked Pope Francis for calling out “irresponsible” lifestyles in the United States that have contributed to climate change. @brianroewe reports. https://t.co/Q0f6Mg6qF5
— NCR (@NCRonline) March 21, 2024
Many of us who were raised Catholic can’t wait for Francis to step down so the church can make way for another leader — hopefully one who’s less divisive.
In some ways, Francis’ rocky tenure mirrors the failed presidency of Joe Biden, who insists on running for re-election despite his advanced age and obvious health issues. Seeing incompetent, decrepit leaders refuse to let go of their tenuous grip on power is nauseating.
The next pope will have a lot of work to do amid the escalating global turmoil and chaotic social landscape we’re navigating. However, he can’t be any worse than Francis, so bring on the new Vicar of Christ.
