Pope Francis was admitted to Agostino Gemelli Hospital in Rome on Feb.14 for an infection called bronchitis that causes airway inflammation of the lungs and makes it difficult for the Pope to breathe. He developed pneumonia in both lungs shortly after, along with a ‘respiratory crisis’ and a blood test that indicates mild kidney failure. However, the Vatican has stated that he is making slight improvements and is able to work again.
As the current head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis makes many important decisions when it comes to faith and morality within the Catholic religion. Since 2013, when Francis was elected as Pope, he has focused on solving climate change, speaking out against the death penalty, and promoting unity between Catholics and non-Catholics. Even with his critical condition, he has continued to commit to his job as best he can.
Due to his decline in health, many are wondering how much longer the Pope will hold his position in the Vatican. At 88 years old, the combination of infections, a blood condition, and mild kidney failure has unsurprisingly taken a large toll on the Pope’s health and could lead to a fatal result. If Pope Francis were to resign or pass away, the College of Cardinals, who are a group of clergy members, would gather to vote on which candidate they want to appoint next. Every day, there are four rounds of balloting until there is a two-thirds vote for one candidate. From there, the College of Cardinals would ask the candidate if he accepts the election.
Pope Francis has made it known that he would resign if he were unable to continue his duties because of medical issues, he has even said that he wrote a letter in case of something like this happening, that would allow hifm to resign if he wasn’t stable enough to do it himself. Though his condition has been improving, people across the world have been worried about whether Pope Francis will fully recover. If he does get better, he’s made it clear he will stay in his position, but if he gets worse, the world could be about to get a new Pope.
