Special Envoy in Rome
Francois will not announce his resignation this Sunday in L’Aquila. This town in the Abruzzo mountains, east of Rome, was partially destroyed by an earthquake in 2009 and is home to the tomb of Celestine V. This Pope became famous when he resigned in 1294. The Vatican’s announcement in early June that Francois’ visit to the site had sparked intense speculation about his resignation. Speculation is fueled by the memory of Benedict XVI, who came here to support victims after the 2009 earthquake. he then gathered at the tomb of Celestine V and placed there his pallium, the symbolic scarf of his power. His warning gesture of resignation, in 2013, which no one could decipher at the time.
Arriving by helicopter early in the morning, François insisted on the contrary “reconstruction” of this city, which is still hit by the force of the earthquakes. Thirteen years later, the basilica still resembles Notre-Dame de Paris today, decorated with…
Source: Le Figaro
