Time-honored rituals, drafted and refined over centuries, allow time for mourning and provide order at a dramatic moment of transition.
Pope Francis’s battle with double pneumonia is the most serious health complication the pontiff has suffered from since taking the Chair of St. Peter in 2013.
The Vatican said Francis, 88, who has been hospitalized for pneumonia, was responding well to treatment and that it was too soon to say how serious the incident was.
Pope Francis removed Strickland after he refused to resign from office. The Dicastery for Bishops investigated "all aspects" of Strickland's governance and leadership and concluded that "the continuation in office of Bishop Strickland was not feasible." The department recommended that Strickland be asked to resign.
And there are no specific norms outlining what happens to the leadership of the Catholic Church if a pope becomes totally incapacitated. As a result, even though Pope Francis remains hospitalized ...