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ARCHIVE - Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin at the Vatican. Photo: Gregorio Borgia/AP/dpa/archived image
Keystone
Since Pope Francis has been in hospital with pneumonia, the debate about a possible resignation of the head of the Catholic Church has continued. Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin has now dismissed this as "unnecessary speculation". The Italian is considered the number two in the Vatican behind the Pope.
"We are now thinking about the Holy Father's health, his recovery, his return to the Vatican: these are the only things that count," Parolin told the newspaper "Corriere della Sera". The news from the Gemelli clinic, where the 88-year-old Francis has been receiving treatment for a week, is encouraging, said the head of the powerful Secretariat of State.
Vatican denies media report
On Friday, the Vatican denied an Italian media report that the Pope had received Parolin and one of the Vatican's most important canon law experts, Cardinal Gianfranco Ghirlanda, in his hospital room. According to the Vatican, this news was spread by a TV station. A denial from the Vatican is very rare.
Such a meeting would be delicate: as Cardinal Secretary of State, Parolin is the person who keeps the resignation letter that Francis said he had signed in case he was unable to act or hold office due to illness. The TV channel's report had once again fueled speculation about the Pope resigning for health reasons.
22.02.2025, 09:48
