Pope Francis has revealed in an interview that he has already signed his resignation letter to be used if he becomes “impaired” due to his health problems.
The bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 2013 turned 86 last December 17, 2022– his 10th birthday as a pope. He spent most of the ten years of his pontificate in relatively good health until his colon surgery in 2021. Early this year, he shared that he also had knee problems but continued to conduct his papal duties.
Pope Francis has admitted that he prepared a resignation letter in 2013, shortly after being elected pontiff, as a contingency plan in case medical issues prevent him from conducting his duties.
Regardless of his suffering from several health issues, the pope has continued to perform his papal duties.
Real Research, an online survey app, launched a survey on public opinion on Pope Francis’ resignation to know what society has to say.
The survey report further highlights the following:
- Nearly 6 in 10 (59.94%) are well aware of Pope Francis’ health conditions.
- 54.05% find it highly justifiable to consider Pope Francis’ medical issues as grounds for his resignation.
- The most popular pope resignation was of Benedict XVI in 2013 (44.52%).
Most Are Aware of Pope Francis’ Health Problems and His Resignation
In detail, nearly 6 in 10 (59.94%) are well aware of Pope Francis’ health conditions. 17.62% know of his colon surgery, while 5.6% know about his knee problems.
Others (12.01%) thought Pope Francis’ health problems were caused by his ‘advanced age,’ while the remaining (4.82%) presume the pope is not having any health problems.
Regarding Pope Francis’ Resignation, about 4 in 10 (41.03%) are well aware, and 36.19% know few details. The rest (22.78%) are unaware of Pope Francis’ Resignation.
Is Pope Francis’ Resignation Justifiable?
Most survey respondents (54.05%) find it highly justifiable to consider Pope Francis’ medical issues as grounds for his resignation. 25.4% find it somewhat justified.
While 17.22% remained neutral, only 1.41% found the resignation of Pope Francis unjustified based on his medical issues.
The survey also asked, “what is your opinion about Pope Francis’ papal renunciation?”
Most of the respondents (41.15%) somewhat oppose Pope Francis’ resignation because, according to them, there are medical procedures available to treat him. 28.71% strongly oppose because, for them, a Pope should serve his duties until his death.
In comparison, 8.61% somewhat favor Pope Francis’ resignation because of his medical issues affecting his papal duties.
14.58% neither oppose nor favor Pope Francis’ resignation.
About 4 in 10 Are Very Satisfied With The Performance of the Bishop of Rome.
24.14% are somewhat satisfied with Pope Francis’ performance as the head of the Catholic Church. 23.67% were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, while 7.29% were dissatisfied.
Pope’s Resignation
In 2015, Francis said he had a feeling that his pontificate would be brief. Accordingly, the survey asks if respondents find the act of resigning as the head of the Catholic Church acceptable.
A great majority consider a papal’s resignation acceptable– 47.56% say it is highly acceptable, and 25.1% say it is somewhat acceptable. While 20.71% were neutral, only 3% found a papal’s renunciation unacceptable.
Throughout Papal history, the Bishop of Rome has traditionally remained in office until death. Only a handful of popes have resigned in the Catholic Church’s history.
From the list of popes that resigned, the most popular among survey respondents was Pope Benedict XVI in 2013 (44.52%). Followed by Pope Gregory XII in 1415 (25.53%) and Pope Celestine V in 1294 (11.76%).
However, 12.67% of survey respondents are unaware of any pope’s resignation.
Half Support the Resignation of a Pope
At the start of Pope Francis’ papacy, he said he would like to normalize the resignation of a pope.
In conclusion, the majority of respondents (50.5%) are in favor of a pope resigning as head of the Catholic Church. In contrast, 28.44% oppose the act, while 21.05% are undecided.
Methodology | |
| Survey Title | Survey: Public Opinion on Pope Francis’ Resignation |
| Duration | December 22 – December 28, 2022 |
| Number of Participants | 20,000 |
| Demographics | Males and females, aged 21 to 99 |
| Participating Countries | Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bolivia,… Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, China (Hong Kong) China (Macao), China (Taiwan), Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Greanada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Maldives, Maluritania, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar [Burma], Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zimbabwe. |
RR Author
Real Research News is the media platform that presents insights and studies of wide-range of topics. It focuses on insights gathered from its survey app.
