Pope biographer:

Ailing Francis has lost his zest for action

As an Argentinian, Francis is the first native non-European to hold the papacy since the 8th century.

(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Pope Francis seems to have lost a lot of his former energy in recent years, analyzes the pontiff's biographer Austen Ivereigh. How can this be reconciled with the leadership of the Catholic Church?

"He always had this huge drive and a lot of pressure behind him, but that's no longer the case. He has become much calmer," the British author states in the new edition of the Himmelklar podcast (Wednesday), according to Kathpress. However, the Pope's ability to lead the Church is not in danger as a result, reassures Ivereigh.

This distinguishes Francis from his predecessor John Paul II, who was severely physically impaired in the last years of his life due to Parkinson's disease. However, should such limitations arise, Francis is also prepared to relinquish the office, according to the biographer. "This is the legacy of Benedict XVI, which he often spoke about, that his predecessor opened this door." Francis' predecessor had surprisingly announced his resignation in February 2013 after almost eight years in office.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Alberto PIZZOLI)

Pontiff wants to decide of his own free will
However, despite some health problems, Ivereigh does not currently see any concrete signs that Francis will resign in the near future. "On the other hand, I also know that the most important thing for him is to make decisions of his own free will and in full freedom. So when the time comes for him to step down, we all probably won't see it coming."

The British journalist is the author of three books on Francis, the biographies "The Great Reformer" (2014) and "Wounded Shepherd" and, most recently, "First Belong to God" (2024), which deals with Francis' spiritual exercises and for which the Pope himself wrote the foreword. He is also the co-author of Francis' book "Dare to Dream" (2020).