Rumours are mounting that Pope Francis is on the verge of resigning. Debate about the Pontiff’s poor health have persisted for some time, with the Holy Father recently seen in a wheelchair. Now the Pope has postponed a trip to Africa – amid fresh attacks against Nigerian Catholics - sending the rumour mill into overdrive.
The Holy Father’s decreased mobility is believed to be a factor in the decision. According to Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office: “At the request of his doctors, and in order not to jeopardise the results of the therapy that he is undergoing for his knee, the Holy Father has been forced to postpone, with regret, his Apostolic Journey to the Democratic Republic of Congo and to South Sudan”.
