Twelve years after being elected Pontiff in 2013, Pope Francis remains very controversial, with his leftist ideas alienating the conservatives both inside the Church and in the wider field of Catholic faithful.
He is regarded as having packed the College of Cardinals with men with his own political pedigree to ensure that the next head of the Church would be a leftist like him.
As he suffers from double pneumonia, acute respiratory difficulties, and partial kidney failure, choosing a successor is a task that may have to be faced soon.
Out of 138 Cardinals eligible to vote for the next Pope – under the age of 80 – no less than 110 were appointed by Pope Francis – about 80 percent.
The Telegraph reported:
With so many members of the College of Cardinals appointed by him, ‘progressives’ are expected to easily have the numbers to overcome the conservatives, although some say that the Cardinals are ‘highly intelligent people who think for themselves.’
While Pope Francis is still alive, with his condition reportedly getting better, it hasn’t stopped the intense speculation over who will emerge as the next Pope.
Vatican insiders say Francis told the doctors to tell the truth about his situation, with medical bulletins saying exactly what is happening.
One of the Pope’s harshest critics says that speculation over who might succeed him was inappropriate, while he still lived.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, is one of the cardinals being described as a contender to become the next Pope.
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