Conservative-leaning clergy want the progressive pontiff out, says the Italian daily La Stampa
Following the death of Pope Benedict XVI, a group of cardinals in the Vatican has embarked on a project to pressure the sitting Pope Francis to resign, an unnamed cleric told the Turin-based La Stampa. This revelation of a supposedly secret plot has been picked up by other outlets, notably several tabloids in the UK.
The Express and the Daily Mail both published their versions of the story on Monday, referring to an article that appeared in La Stampa the day before. Both carry the quote from an anonymous cardinal – said to be Italian – that the plan will unfold along “various axes and phases” but with the sole objective of placing the papacy “under such stress that Francis will have to resign.”
The plotters are a minority right now, so they will need time to weaken Francis and win over other cardinals, the source allegedly said. Their campaign will supposedly focus on the pontiff’s “doctrinal choices” that have fostered discontent among the more conservative Catholics – notably regarding homosexuality, abortion and divorce – as well as on his failing health.
Francis, 86, has had several surgeries over the past year and has on occasion had to use a wheelchair to get around.
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