Pope Francis at 88: Holy Year amidst health battles

Pope Francis, who is turning 88, is one of the oldest popes in the history of the Catholic Church. Despite his advanced age, he actively travels the world. Two days before his birthday, he visited Corsica, and in a week, he will inaugurate the Holy Year, which will pose a significant challenge to his health and strength.

Pope Francis is turning 88. Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born on December 17, 1936, in a poor district of Buenos Aires to an Italian immigrant family. At the age of 21, he decided to become a priest. He was elected pope at the age of 77.

He is the first Bishop of Rome from outside Europe and the first Jesuit to hold this position. Notably, he is also the first pope to use the name Francis instead of his predecessors' names.

Pope Francis has no time for a grand celebration. His birthday will be a typical workday, filled with preparations for the Holy Year, proclaimed every 25 years. Francis will officially begin the Great Jubilee on Christmas Eve by opening the Holy Doors at St. Peter's Basilica. This ceremony will be broadcast worldwide, and the pope will lead the traditional Midnight Mass. Holy Doors will also be opened in several other papal basilicas in Rome.

On Christmas Day, Pope Francis will deliver a message that traditionally draws tens of thousands of people to St. Peter's Square and millions of viewers on television and the internet. On December 26, the pope will, for the first time, open the Holy Doors at Rome's Rebibbia prison, which the Vatican described as a groundbreaking moment in the history of the Jubilee. Rebibbia will become a "symbol of all the world's prisons" - it was explained.

During the Holy Year, many Jubilees will occur, including pilgrimages to the Vatican by various professional and church groups. The first of these, the Jubilee of the media world, will occur in January. The Jubilee of the armed forces and police is planned for February. The Youth Jubilee is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of participants between July and August.

Despite health issues, the pope does not ease his daily service. He regularly receives numerous groups and guests in audiences. After an intense visit to Corsica, Francis held eight audiences. Although he often uses a wheelchair due to knee problems, he does not give up on foreign trips. So far, he has completed 47 trips, including the longest to Asia and Oceania, covering about 34,000 kilometres.

Two years ago, after returning from Canada, the pope admitted that he needed to reduce the pace of travel due to age and health. "I don't think I can go at the same pace as I used to travel. I think that at my age and with this limitation, I have to save myself a little bit to be able to serve the Church," he told journalists.

He acknowledged that he has considered stepping down, emphasizing that replacing the pope is feasible and that it would not be a catastrophe. However, he added that, for the time being, he needs to avoid excessive strain. Nevertheless, he has since undertaken 10 trips across four continents.

At the end of November, Francis announced his plans to visit Turkey next year to mark the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. Possible travel destinations include the Canary Islands related to the migration crisis. Since the conclave in 2013, the pope has not visited his native Argentina, although he expressed hope for a visit at the end of 2024.

Despite many invitations, Francis has not yet travelled to Ukraine, arguing that he wants to visit both Ukraine and Russia. These plans currently seem unrealistic.

Among the pope's critics, mainly within conservative circles, there was a recent initiative just before his birthday to mobilize preparations for the next conclave.

One of the conservative American publications has just launched a portal that is already discussing the election of a new pope and presenting the profiles of cardinals with the greatest chances of being elected during the conclave.