Traditionalists had doubts about Pope Francis’ liberal opinions and modifications to the Latin Mass. Now, there’s a secret Vatican plot to force Pope Francis to resign.
According to reports, Vatican conservatives are attempting to compel Pope Francis into resigning.
Just a few days after the passing of his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, on December 31, the campaign to remove the 86-year-old, liberal-leaning pontiff got under way in earnest.
Although Pope Francis previously stated he would resign if his health declined, it was thought unlikely to occur while Benedict XVI was still alive to avoid an unprecedented situation of three Popes residing at the Vatican, according to The Telegraph.
The rumors intensify as a result of the Pope’s Monday meeting with Archbishop Georg Gänswein, the late Pope Benedict XVI’s longstanding secretary and a prominent presence in his recent funeral. In his astounding account, Gänswein paints Francis in a severely unflattering light.
Other than to confirm that the private audience did take place, the Vatican gave no information regarding its contents.
The conservative faction is prepared to take action against the ”communist’ Pope, a cardinal reportedly warned the Italian newspaper La Stampa.
The cardinal was quoted as saying: ‘The secret plan will be formulated on various axes and phases, but it will have one objective – to place the pontificate under such stress that Francis will have to resign.
‘The opponents of Francis know that right now they are in a minority, that they will need time to both win a consensus and to weaken [him].’
Cardinal stated that the outcome of the campaign would depend on ‘the progressive weakening of the Holy Father as well as his doctrinal choices, which will create a great deal of discontent which can be used against him.’
After the departure of the archconservative Benedict, Pope Francis, previously known as Cardinal Bergoglio, was elected pope in 2013.
With his critique of capitalism and open stance toward homosexuality, abortion, communion for remarried divorcees, and celibacy for priests, his appointment signaled a clear change in the Catholic church.
According to La Stampa reports, some of the pope’s detractors will be outspoken in their critique, whereas others will remain ‘in the shadows’.
The faction opposed to Pope Francis is led by Cardinal Georg Gänswein, who served as Pope Benedict’s personal secretary for 19 years and has earned the moniker ‘the George Clooney of the Holy See’ due to his attractive looks.
Following last week’s release of his candid book, ”Nothing But the Truth: My Life Beside Pope Benedict XVI,’ there have been concerns voiced regarding what Francis will do with Gänswein now that his primary duty of caring for Benedict has concluded following his death.
Some Vatican observers regard the book as the start of a new period of anti-Francis attacks from the conservative right, for whom Benedict remained a nostalgic point of reference in retirement. Benedict’s death, as well as Gänswein’s postmortem disclosures, have shattered the illusion of a harmonious cohabitation between two popes.
Gänswein’s book uncovers previously unknown facts of some of the biggest setbacks and bad blood that accumulated during Benedict’s last ten years as a retired pope following his 2013 retirement decision. the very first pontiff in six centuries to do so.
In one of the most shocking passages, Gänswein claims he was “shocked and speechless” when Francis, in the wake of a scandal involving a book Benedict co-authored, practically fired him from his day job as the head of the papal household in 2020. Francis effectively ended Gänswein’s role as the “bridge” between the pontificates when he instructed him to stop going to the office and focus solely on caring for Benedict.
Gänswein published previously unreleased correspondence between the two popes and relayed their private conversations, revealing that Francis even turned down Benedict’s efforts to reinstate him. Gänswein, who was deeply hurt, claimed that Francis was caustic, irrational, and lacking in sincerity in his decision-making, and that Benedict even made fun of Francis when he was informed of the choice.
‘It seems as if Pope Francis doesn’t trust me anymore and is making you my chaperone,’ Gänswein quoted Benedict as saying.
Additionally, Gänswein expressed his disappointment that Francis had turned down his request to reside in the palace apartment previously used by his predecessor. Francis awarded the apartment to the Vatican’s foreign minister instead after a longer-than-usual renovation process, forcing Gänswe to stay at the monastery that Benedict called home.
The pope’s decision to restrict the traditional Latin Mass was denounced by Cardinal Gänswein in a statement to the German media, who claimed it had “broken the heart” of his predecessor.
Gänswein also recounted in his autobiography how he struggled to establish a “climate of trust” with Pope Francis and how he was “shocked and speechless” when he lost his post in the papal household in 2020.
Cardinals Raymond Burke, an American, and Gerhard Ludwig Müller, a close supporter of Benedict XVI, are additional supporters of the traditionalist movement.
One hundred thousand mourners, including King Philippe of Belgium and dowager Queen Sofia of Spain, assembled in St. Peter’s Square on January 4 for the late pope’s funeral.
Francis, who appeared in a wheelchair and stood with the help of a stick, did not mention Benedict by name until the very last phrase of his sermon. He addressed Jesus as the church’s ‘bridegroom,’ saying: ‘Benedict, faithful friend of the bridegroom, may your joy be complete as you hear his voice, now and forever.’
The Pope had previously warned that Germany might pose a threat to the unity of the church. Signs of this have already appeared as the Nordic bishops underlined their anxiety at the German process in an open letter in March.
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This is a great introduction to Cardinal Ganswein, and exemplifies susceptibility of religious organizations to intrigue. Further reports will hopefully reveal if Church conservatives have financial as well as doctrinal disagreements with Pope Francis.