Vatican plot to force Pope Francis to resign: Conservatives wage ‘secret plan’ to put the liberal pontiff under so much stress he will step down, Italian cardinal reveals
Conservatives in the Vatican are said to be plotting to put Pope Francis under such pressure that he is forced to resign.
The move to oust the liberal-minded pontiff, 86, began in earnest just days after the death of his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on December 31.
Although Pope Francis has previously declared he would step down if his health deteriorates, it was deemed unlikely to happen while Benedict XVI was alive in order to prevent an unprecedented situation of three Popes living at the Vatican, The Telegraph reports.
The speculation grows as the Pope met with Archbishop Georg Gänswein on Monday, the longtime secretary of Pope Benedict XVI and a key figure in his recent funeral. Gänswein has released an extraordinary memoir in which he casts Francis in a deeply unfavorable light.
The Vatican provided no details about the content of the private audience, other than to say that it happened.
Italian newspaper La Stampa reported that a cardinal had told them the conservative faction is ready to move against the ‘communist’ Pope.
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].’
The cardinal added that the campaign would hinge upon ‘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.’
Formerly known as Cardinal Bergoglio, Pope Francis became pontiff in 2013 after the resignation of the arch-conservative Benedict.
His appointment signalled a definite change in the Catholic church, with his criticism of capitalism and open attitude toward homosexuality, abortion, communion for remarried divorcees and celibacy for priests.
La Stampa reports said some opponents will be open in their criticism of the pope, while others will operate ‘in the shadows’.
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The See is vacant. Jorge Bergoglio is not the Pope, and has never been the Pope. He is an anti-Pope. When Benedict XVI died, the Holy See became vacant.
Why is Bergoglio not the Pope? First he is a manifest heretic according to the tenets of Roman Catholicism. Second, Benedict was forced to resign under pressure, and was also in significant error in believing that he could bifurcate the Papacy. Both of these are violations of Canon Law, specifically Canon 188. The conclave that elevated Bergoglio to the Papacy was invalid because of this, and ongoing his manifest heresy. Until Bergoglio is publicly denounced as an anti Pope and a heretic and forced to resign, the See of Peter will be vacant.
The question at hand is if the Cardinals who were elevated to that position under Bergoglio are valid, and whether any decision that they make on a future Pope will be valid. There are more than 80 IIRC. It’s a mess for sure.