Secret Plan to Topple the Pope

By Staff, Agencies

An Italian media outlet has cited an unnamed Italian cardinal as saying that “After the death of Pope Benedict XVI late last year, Vatican officials embarked on a plan to force incumbent Pope Francis to step down.”

The cleric claimed that “the secret plan will be formulated on various axes and phases, but it will have one objective – to place the pontificate under such stress that Francis will have to resign.”

At the same time, the cardinal added that the opponents of Francis “know that right now they are in a minority, [and] that they will need time both to win consensus and to weaken Bergoglio.”

The cleric referred to Pope Francis' name before he took on the position of head of the Catholic Church in March 2013.

According to the cardinal, some of the alleged "plotters" will operate "in the shadows", while others will be more open in their criticism of the sitting Pontiff, who is known for his criticism of capitalism.

A purported campaign to topple Francis will also reportedly focus on Francis' ailing health. The 86-year-old has had several surgeries over the past year, and he used a wheelchair in public for the first time in May 2022.

In the meantime, some reports speculated on the issue, alleging that the "plotters" did not want to move against Francis while Benedict was still alive – in order to avoid the unprecedented situation of having two retired living popes.