Pope Francis’s recent hospitalisation on account of a lung infection has sparked questions regarding the leadership of the Catholic Church should the pontiff turn out to be incapacitated.
Despite the Pope’s apparent critical condition, he stays in charge, because the Vatican has confirmed he’s resting peacefully after a respiratory crisis.
Unlike scenarios involving death or resignation, the Vatican lacks specific protocols for situations where a pope is severely ailing or unconscious.
As Pope Francis’s hospital stay approaches the 10-day mark, equalling his 2021 stay for colon surgery, discussions about papal power, its exercise, transfer, and the circumstances surrounding it have resurfaced.
This has led to speculation about whether Francis might consider resigning if he becomes unable to steer, following within the footsteps of Pope Benedict XVI.
The pope is the successor of the Apostle Peter, the top of the school of bishops, the Vicar of Christ and the pastor of the universal Catholic Church on Earth, in response to the church’s in-house canon law.
Nothing has modified in his status, role or power since Francis was elected the 266th pope on March 13, 2013. That status is by theological design.
The Vatican Curia
Francis could also be in charge, but he already delegates the day-to-day running of the Vatican and church to a team of officials who operate whether he’s within the Apostolic Palace or not, and whether he’s conscious or not.
Chief amongst them is the secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. In an indication that Francis’ hospitalization foresaw no change to the governance of the church, Parolin was in Burkina Faso when Francis entered the hospital on Feb. 14. Parolin is now back on the Vatican.
Other Vatican functions are proceeding normally, including the Vatican’s 2025 Holy Year celebrations.
On Sunday, for instance, Archbishop Rino Fisichella celebrated a Jubilee Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica that Francis was purported to have celebrated. Fisichella offered a special prayer for Francis from the altar before delivering the homily the pope had prepared.
What happens when a pope gets sick?
Canon law does have provisions for when a bishop gets sick and might’t run his diocese, but none for a pope. Canon 412 says a diocese may be declared “impeded” if its bishop — on account of “captivity, banishment, exile, or incapacity” — cannot fulfil his pastoral functions. In such cases, the day-to-day running of the diocese shifts to an auxiliary bishop, a vicar general or another person.
Even though Francis is the bishop of Rome, no explicit provision exists for the pope if he similarly becomes “impeded.” Canon 335 declares simply that when the Holy See is “vacant or entirely impeded,” nothing may be altered within the governance of the church. But it doesn’t say what it means for the Holy See to be “entirely impeded” or what provisions might come into play if it ever were.
In 2021, a team of canon lawyers got down to propose norms to fill that legislative gap. They created a canonical crowd-sourcing initiative to craft a recent church law regulating the office of a retired pope in addition to norms to use when a pope is unable to control, either temporarily or permanently.
The proposed norms explain that, with medical advancements, it’s entirely likely that in some unspecified time in the future a pope shall be alive but unable to control. It argues that the church must provide for the declaration of a “totally impeded see” and the transfer of power for the sake of its own unity.
Under the proposed norms, the governance of the universal church would pass to the College of Cardinals. In the case of a short lived impediment, they might name a commission to control, with periodical medical checks every six months to find out the status of the pope.
What concerning the letters?
Francis confirmed in 2022 that shortly after he was elected pope he wrote a letter of resignation, to be invoked if he became medically incapacitated. He said he gave it to the then-secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, and said he assumed Bertone had delivered it to Parolin’s office when he retired.
The text isn’t public, and the conditions Francis contemplated for a resignation are unknown. It can be not known if such a letter could be canonically valid. Canon law requires a papal resignation to be “freely and properly manifested” — as was the case when Benedict announced his resignation in 2013.
In 1965, Pope Paul VI wrote letters to the dean of the College of Cardinals hypothesizing that if he were to turn out to be seriously ailing, the dean and other cardinals should accept his resignation. The letter was never invoked, since Paul lived one other 13 years and died on the job.
What happens when a pope dies or resigns?
The only time papal power changes hands is when a pope dies or resigns. At that point, a complete series of rites and rituals comes into play governing the “interregnum” — the period between the tip of 1 pontificate and the election of a recent pope.
During that period, generally known as the “sede vacante,” or “empty See,” the camerlengo, or chamberlain, runs the administration and funds of the Holy See. He certifies the pope’s death, seals the papal apartments and prepares for the pope’s burial before a conclave to elect a recent pope. The position is currently held by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the top of the Vatican’s laity office.
The camerlengo has no role or duties if the pope is merely sick or otherwise incapacitated.
Likewise, the dean of the College of Cardinals, who would preside at a papal funeral and organize the conclave, has no additional role if the pope is merely sick. That position is currently held by Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, 91.
Earlier this month, Francis decided to maintain Re on the job even after his five-year term expired, moderately than make way for somebody recent. He also prolonged the term of the vice-dean, Argentine Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, 81.
