NEWS: March 31, 2025
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Bird’s Eye View of the News
THE FRANCIS PAPACY, PHASE TWO –
After 38 days at the Gemelli Clinic in Rome, Pope Francis was released on March 23 to return to the Vatican, which is where he is right now. This news was followed by
statements from Dr. Sergio Alfieri, who was the chief doctor in charge of Francis during his internment.
Speaking to Corriere della Sera, Alfieri sketched a quite serious picture about the health of the Pontiff, explaining that more than once the physicians thought Francis would pass away. On one of these occasions they asked the due Vatican authority what should be done, and received the command to do whatever they could to save Francis’ life.
There was no clear explanation of the procedures they applied. What we know is that he is alive, but extremely frail and has difficulty in speaking. So marked is his difficulty to speak that the Vatican sources are telling us that he needs to “relearn how to speak.”
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Such a difficulty to speak has been explained as a consequence of the respiratory oxygen mask and the tubes inserted in his throat, which would have temporarily damaged his vocal chords. However, experienced nurses who normally treat elderly persons who undergo similar procedures report that they have never seen or heard about the loss of speaking being a consequence of the application of oxygen. If this last affirmation is true, which I cannot guarantee since I am ignorant of medicine, then the doctors would be hiding the real cause of the loss of Francis' capacity to speak. The real cause of his speaking loss might be a brain injury caused by a stroke.
Francis'public appearance
The Pope’s appearance at a Gemelli balcony shortly preceded his release from the hospital. It was also his only appearance since his entrance into Gemelli. If, then, he would be having any serious difficulty in speaking, he would have shown it there.
In that appearance he spoke the phrase: “That lady with yellow flowers is a brave woman” (Quella donna con gialli fiore è una brava donna), referring to a lady with flowers who was standing under the balcony along with many other persons to greet Francis. Was that phrase decisive to discard the hypothesis of a stroke?
The phrase was spoken with a so feeble a voice that it was not clear enough to distinguish whether he was saying those words spontaneously or repeating a lesson he had received a few minutes before. The video shows that, after wisping out those words, he seemed to be afflicted with asphyxia and had to be rushed off the balcony to return to oxygen.
Also, it is not certain that, from where he was sitting leaning back in his wheelchair, he would even have been able to distinguish the lady with the yellow bouquet. So, in principle, the entire scene might have been staged to give the impression he is in better condition than he really is.
New phase of the Papacy
In an interview to America Magazine on March 21, 2025, Card. Victor Fernandez, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, who is very close to Francis, affirmed that we are entering a new phase of the Papacy in which Francis will appear much less.
Actually, his words were: “I think that now a new pope begins.” Francis “is a man of surprises and surely he will have learned many things” during his stay of more than a month in Gemelli Hospital, he commented, “and who knows what he will pull out of the hat?”
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“His life will certainly have to change, but I cannot give details,” the Cardinal said, indicating that a new phase of the papacy will begin.
As for the process of relearning how to speak and a lesser public presence, he affirmed: “Now he needs rehabilitation because a long time [receiving] high-flow oxygenation dries you up and you almost have to learn to speak again. He has little strength in his voice, and so he needs therapy, time to recover the strength of his voice, also the muscles, because he has been too long without moving… and that’s the stage that comes now.”
These declarations of Card. Fernandez are not sufficient to clarify whether Francis had a stroke or not.
Card. Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, gave an interview to Corriere della Sera published March 29, 2025, in which he was more positive than “Tucho” Fernandez about the ability of Francis to govern the Church. In it he affirmed that “it is not the ideal situation, but I emphasize that the Pope is in a position to still govern the Church, and we are happy that he was able to come home.”
“There is no change in the essentials” of how the Roman Curia works, Parolin continued. While the Pope needs rest, documents are still brought to him on “issues which he and only he can and must decide.”
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“The governance of the Church is in his hands,” the Cardinal said. “But there are many more routine matters on which his Curia collaborators can proceed even without consulting him, on the basis of previously received indications and existing regulations.”
Despite these affirmations, we have seen the Vatican issuing the full schedule of the ceremonies for Holy Week and Easter, and in none of them is the presence of Pope Francis expected. A complete silence has fallen on the planned “New Council of Nicaea” planned to be held in May in that historical city. Certainly Francis cannot attend it.
Facing this scenario with so many shadows and so few lights, we have to become accustomed to a Church led by Cardinals in a less spectacular way than we have seen in these last 13 years. There are two questions to which I could not find answers:
A disabled, invalid Pope...
Speaking to Corriere della Sera, Alfieri sketched a quite serious picture about the health of the Pontiff, explaining that more than once the physicians thought Francis would pass away. On one of these occasions they asked the due Vatican authority what should be done, and received the command to do whatever they could to save Francis’ life.
There was no clear explanation of the procedures they applied. What we know is that he is alive, but extremely frail and has difficulty in speaking. So marked is his difficulty to speak that the Vatican sources are telling us that he needs to “relearn how to speak.”
Francis appeared on the second story balcony of the hospital, above, & had trouble breathing
Francis'public appearance
The Pope’s appearance at a Gemelli balcony shortly preceded his release from the hospital. It was also his only appearance since his entrance into Gemelli. If, then, he would be having any serious difficulty in speaking, he would have shown it there.
In that appearance he spoke the phrase: “That lady with yellow flowers is a brave woman” (Quella donna con gialli fiore è una brava donna), referring to a lady with flowers who was standing under the balcony along with many other persons to greet Francis. Was that phrase decisive to discard the hypothesis of a stroke?
The phrase was spoken with a so feeble a voice that it was not clear enough to distinguish whether he was saying those words spontaneously or repeating a lesson he had received a few minutes before. The video shows that, after wisping out those words, he seemed to be afflicted with asphyxia and had to be rushed off the balcony to return to oxygen.
Also, it is not certain that, from where he was sitting leaning back in his wheelchair, he would even have been able to distinguish the lady with the yellow bouquet. So, in principle, the entire scene might have been staged to give the impression he is in better condition than he really is.
New phase of the Papacy
In an interview to America Magazine on March 21, 2025, Card. Victor Fernandez, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, who is very close to Francis, affirmed that we are entering a new phase of the Papacy in which Francis will appear much less.
Actually, his words were: “I think that now a new pope begins.” Francis “is a man of surprises and surely he will have learned many things” during his stay of more than a month in Gemelli Hospital, he commented, “and who knows what he will pull out of the hat?”
Tucho Fernandez: We are entering phase two of the Francis Papacy
As for the process of relearning how to speak and a lesser public presence, he affirmed: “Now he needs rehabilitation because a long time [receiving] high-flow oxygenation dries you up and you almost have to learn to speak again. He has little strength in his voice, and so he needs therapy, time to recover the strength of his voice, also the muscles, because he has been too long without moving… and that’s the stage that comes now.”
These declarations of Card. Fernandez are not sufficient to clarify whether Francis had a stroke or not.
Card. Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, gave an interview to Corriere della Sera published March 29, 2025, in which he was more positive than “Tucho” Fernandez about the ability of Francis to govern the Church. In it he affirmed that “it is not the ideal situation, but I emphasize that the Pope is in a position to still govern the Church, and we are happy that he was able to come home.”
“There is no change in the essentials” of how the Roman Curia works, Parolin continued. While the Pope needs rest, documents are still brought to him on “issues which he and only he can and must decide.”
Oxygen & a vague gaze
Despite these affirmations, we have seen the Vatican issuing the full schedule of the ceremonies for Holy Week and Easter, and in none of them is the presence of Pope Francis expected. A complete silence has fallen on the planned “New Council of Nicaea” planned to be held in May in that historical city. Certainly Francis cannot attend it.
Facing this scenario with so many shadows and so few lights, we have to become accustomed to a Church led by Cardinals in a less spectacular way than we have seen in these last 13 years. There are two questions to which I could not find answers:
- Is it not well known that Francis has mentioned in the past that he had already written a letter of resignation if medical problems impeded him from carrying out his duties? If this is true, then who holds this document?
- Who in the Conciliar Church can replace Francis in leading the destruction of the Catholic Church as he has done during his entire pontificate?
A disabled, invalid Pope...
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