One Synod, five trips, 10 years of pontificate: in 12 months, the Argentine Jesuit, who now uses a wheelchair, has not eased his frantic pace. And this despite several health scares, including a respiratory infection in March and an abdominal operation in June which led him to the hospital.
In the corridors of the Vatican, many describe an atmosphere of “end of reign” while Francis had mentioned a short pontificate.
“His health is declining, he is a tired man” more “He’s in his right mind. He’s more than ever at the helm”a Vatican source told AFP, on condition of anonymity.
If he himself admits to having “no more harm” to travel, the pope continued to crisscross the planet on themes representative of his pontificate: migrations to Marseille, “peripheries” in Mongolia or the ravages of war in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
But 2023 will remain above all as the first year without the shadow of his predecessor Benedict XVI, whose death on December 31, 2022 put an end to nearly 10 years of cohabitation between the two men in white at the Vatican.
“Francis found himself freed from the shadow of Benedict XVI, and at the same time isolated from his enemies because in a certain way Benedict XVI protected him”explains to AFP Michel Kubler, priest in Rome and former editor-in-chief of the daily La Croix.
“Spiral of hardening”
Because both internally and outside the City-State, criticism has been increasing since his election. This is evidenced by the numerous speeches once morest his governance, particularly from American ultra-conservatives.
“Those who do not like Francis are holding back less and less. We are in a spiral of hardening relations between Francis and a certain Catholic opposition”notes Michel Kubler.
“The attacks are more virulent and 360°. We also feel a general weariness”slips a Vatican source, emphasizing the personality “divisive” of Francis.
In question, the pope’s governance, considered too personal, and the difficulties in completing his reform of the Curia – the central government of the Church – for which he was elected.
In return, Francis responded strongly, removing the privileges, salary and official accommodation of one of his most famous opponents, the American Cardinal Raymond Burke.
The year 2023 was also marked by developments in the fight once morest sexual violence in the Church, such as the indictment of a Slovenian Jesuit priest accused of sexual and psychological violence once morest women or the resounding resignation of the member most influential member of the Vatican’s anti-pedocriminality commission.
“Struggling” diplomacy
On the diplomatic level, the Argentine Jesuit appeared powerless in the face of the war in Ukraine, despite his serious appeals every week to silence the guns and an attempt at mediation via the Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, sent to Washington, Kiev , Moscow and Beijing.
This attempt “allowed contact to be made but did not produce tangible results”, a diplomatic source told AFP.
“We have a diplomacy of the Holy See that is struggling a little, sometimes parasitized by poorly prepared initiatives or speeches from the Pope” which limit its ability to play a mediation role, she adds.
The new call on ecology did not have the echo of his encyclical Laudato Si’ of 2015, and he had to give up going to Dubai for health reasons.
The year 2024 will be especially marked by the second stage of the Synod on the future of the Church, which put subjects such as the female diaconate on the table.
In the meantime, the pope, who recently revealed that he had chosen his place of burial in Rome, said he wanted to continue traveling, with possible trips to Belgium and Argentina.
“A lot will depend on his state of health and his ability to stay the course despite the hostilities”summarizes the same Vatican source.
