Pope Francis, who has raised the possibility of retiring for reasons of declining health, has praised the humility of a 13th-century pontiff who was one of the few in history to step down rather than rule for life.
The announcement of the visit by the head of the Roman Catholic church to L’Aquila, in the central Apennine mountains, had fuelled speculation of a possible resignation announcement after 20 new cardinals were inducted this weekend.
Though Pope Francis has dismissed rumours that he plans to resign any time soon himself, but also insisted that resignation must be an acceptable option for pontiffs who feel they no longer can adequately lead the world’s more than 1.3 billion Catholics.
Pope Francis wore a hard hat while visiting the L’Aquila cathedral, which was damaged by a 2009 earthquake
The town was largely destroyed by a 2009 earthquake that killed 305 people and is still being rebuilt. It is the burial place of Celestine V, who resigned as pope in 1294 after only five months to return to his life as a hermit.
Pope Francis, who suffers from a painful knee problem and sciatica, arrived at the town’s basilica to pray at Celestine’s tomb in a wheelchair and was helped to stand by aides. He said that by relinquishing power, Celestine had shown the strength of humility.
Pope Francis became the first pope in 728 years to open the Holy Door of a 13th-century basilica in L’Aquila, Italy on Sunday.
During a visit to the Italian city located about 70 miles northeast of Rome on Aug. 28, the pope participated in a centuries-old tradition, the Celestinian Forgiveness, known in Italian as the Perdonanza Celestiniana.
The opening of the Holy Door marked a key moment in the annual celebration established by Pope Celestine V in 1294.
In his homily during a mass for thousands of people in a town square, Francis noted that in the Divine Comedy Dante had ridiculed Celestine for cowardice in abdicating his papal role, referring to the decision as “the Great Refusal”.
“For centuries L’Aquila has kept alive the gift that Pope Celestine V left it. It is the privilege of reminding everyone that with mercy, and only with it, the life of every man and woman can be lived with joy,” Pope Francis said in his homily during Mass at L’Aquila’s Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio
“In the eyes of men, the humble are seen as weak and losers, but in reality, they are the real winners because they are the only ones who trust completely in the Lord and know His will,” the 85-year-old pope said.
“Humility does not consist in devaluing oneself, but rather in that healthy realism that makes us recognise our potential and also our misery,” Francis said. He hailed Celestine’s courage because “no logic of power was able to imprison or manage him”.
“To be forgiven is to experience here and now what comes closest to the resurrection. Forgiveness is passing from death to life, from the experience of anguish and guilt to that of freedom and joy. May this church always be a place where we can be reconciled, and experience that grace that puts us back on our feet and gives us another chance,” he said.
Pope Francis said: “First of all I thank you for your witness of faith: despite the pain and loss, which belong to our faith as pilgrims, you have fixed your gaze on Christ, crucified and risen, who with his love redeemed the nonsense of pain and death.”
“And Jesus has placed you back in the arms of the Father, who does not let a tear fall in vain, not even one, but gathers them all in his merciful heart,” he added.
Pope Francis began the day trip at 7:50 a.m. traveling by helicopter from the Vatican to L’Aquila. He visited the city’s cathedral, which is still being rebuilt after it was badly damaged during a 2009 earthquake in which more than 300 people died.
Pope Francis wore a hard hat while visiting the L’Aquila cathedral, which was damaged by a 2009 earthquake. He spoke to family members of earthquake victims in the town square in front of the cathedral, where local prisoners were also present in the crowd.
Pope Francis said: “First of all I thank you for your witness of faith: despite the pain and loss, which belong to our faith as pilgrims, you have fixed your gaze on Christ, crucified and risen, who with his love redeemed the nonsense of pain and death.”
“And Jesus has placed you back in the arms of the Father, who does not let a tear fall in vain, not even one, but gathers them all in his merciful heart,” he added.
After speaking to the families of the victims, Pope Francis traveled in the popemobile to L’Aquila’s Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio, where he celebrated an outdoor Mass, recited the Angelus, and opened the Holy Door.
In his brief Angelus message, the pope offered a prayer for the people of Pakistan, where flash floods have killed more than 1,000 people and displaced thousands more.
Pope Francis also asked for the intercession of the Virgin Mary to obtain “forgiveness and peace for the whole world,” mentioning Ukraine and all other places suffering from war.
Pope Francis began the day trip at 7:50 a.m. traveling by helicopter from the Vatican to L’Aquila. He visited the city’s cathedral, which is still being rebuilt after it was badly damaged during a 2009 earthquake in which more than 300 people died.
It would be recalled that Francis’s predecessor, Benedict XVI, who in 2013 became the first pontiff in about 600 years to resign willingly, visited L’Aquila four years before stepping down.
Benedict XVI visited the tomb of Celestine V years earlier. During his trip on April 28, 2009, he left his pallium — the white wool vestment given to metropolitan archbishops — on the tomb. In hindsight, commentators suggested that Benedict was indicating his intention to resign.
In the past, Francis has also praised Benedict’s courage. In his homily in L’Aquila, Pope Francis praised Pope Celestine V for his humility and courage.
Pope Francis prays at the tomb of Pope Celestine V in L’Aquila, Italy.
He described how the helicopter that flew him to L’Aquila on Sunday had to circle above the town because of heavy fog before finally finding a gap, saying it showed how people should take advantage of an “opening” when it presents itself.
Sixteen of the cardinals inducted on Saturday would be eligible for the conclave of those who would be called on to pick Francis’s successor – who according to the Vatican’s rules must be aged under 80 at the time of the vote – if he were to resign.
The inductions mean Francis has chosen 83 out of the 132 cardinals qualified to elect a new pope, nearly two-thirds of the total and precisely the percentage needed for any proposed name to pass
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