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Observers of Vatican politics speaking to an American news outlet said that the Trump administration could be looking for “someone less confrontational” instead of Pope Francis.
Pope Francis talks with US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania during a private audience at the Vatican, in this 2017 file photo. (IMAGE: REUTERS)
There are fears in the corridors of Vatican City’s Sistine Chapel, where papal conclaves or elections to elect the next pope are held, that someone from across the Atlantic Ocean could try to influence the elections.
Speaking to American news website Politico, observers of Vatican politics said that the Trump administration could try to influence the papal elections.
The concerns arise as the 88-year-old Pope Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital last Friday for bronchitis. Pope Francis ate breakfast and read the papers as usual on Tuesday on his fifth day in hospital but appears no closer to being discharged, with the Vatican cancelling his weekend events.
Francis, the head of the Catholic Church since 2013, was admitted to hospital after struggling for several days to read his texts in public.
It is the latest of a series of health issues for the Jesuit, who has undergone hernia and colon surgery since 2021 and uses a wheelchair due to pain in his knee.
When a pope falls seriously ill or becomes incapacitated, the Vatican initiates the succession process, which involves the College of Cardinals. If the pope is unable to perform his duties, a “sede vacante” (vacant seat) period begins. Cardinals convene in a conclave to elect a new pope, with each cardinal casting votes in a secret ballot. The process is governed by strict protocols to ensure secrecy and fairness. The election culminates in the selection of a new pope, who is then announced to the world from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.
It is unclear if the Vatican is taking any steps in this direction but if they do, some fear that the Trump administration could take a similar direction like it did with respect to European issues.
“They’ve already influenced European politics, they’d have no problem influencing the conclave. They might be looking for someone less confrontational,” the observer was quoted as saying by Politico.
Before his health deteriorated, Pope Francis was caught in a political storm.
Earlier this month, he publicly disagreed with US Vice President JD Vance’s use of the theological concept Ordo Amoris to justify President Trump’s migrant policy.
The pope’s criticism set off a firestorm at the White House, leading many to speculate that if Francis were to pass, the succession process could become a battleground, marked by intense political maneuvering.
‘Stick To Catholic Church’
In a letter to US bishops earlier this month, Francis, 88, said deporting people who had fled their own countries in distress “damages the dignity” of the migrants and could leave many vulnerable and defenceless.
“I exhort all the faithful of the Catholic Church, and all men and women of goodwill, not to give in to narratives that discriminate against and cause unnecessary suffering to our migrant and refugee brothers and sisters,” he wrote.
The letter, published by the Vatican, sparked a swift retort from the Trump White House.
“I wish he’d stick to the Catholic Church and fix that and leave border enforcement to us,” the president’s border czar, Tom Homan, told reporters.
“He wants to attack us for securing our border? He’s got a wall around the Vatican, does he not?… We can’t have a wall around the United States.”
- Location :
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
