And, again:

Editor’s Note: The Vatican has a long habit of telling half-truths about the health of the reigning Pontiff, and this report seems to be one of these: because if he suffer nothing serious, there would be no reason to put the arm in a sling. The bruise, reported, therefore must be on the tip of the elbow: a region where injury is most painful.

And it is indeed ironic, if not Divine Vengeance, that the very day after saying those who like the old Latin Mass may be “mentally imbalanced“, that he himself should lose his balance and fall down.

That Pope Francis’ health is more serious than the Vatican is letting on, can be seen from the recent publicity arranged by Cardinals vying to be candidates in the next Conclave, like Cardinal Parolin who toured the Levant, and made sure to wear a Keffiyah on his last day in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; and Cardinal Sean O’Malley, who wanted to let everyone know how many important trips he made on behalf of Pope Francis and the U. S. President Joe Biden to thaw relations with Cuba.

I infer from this that it must be common knowledge among the Roman Curia that Pope Francis’ time left in this world is short, or that, he has decided to abdicate, as Andrea Cionci reported at the end of last year, and that such an announcement has already been decided.

See my previous report on all that could go wrong, in either case: here. But if he does abdicate, there is a problem, because Pope Benedict XVI put him in a fix, as I explained 4 years ago, when rumors swirled that Pope Francis was going to resign.