Pope Francis will surprise people after he hopefully recovers from pneumonia but will not resign, Cardinal Prefect of the Faith Victor Fernandez said Friday.
"Now a new stage begins and he is a man of surprises. He will have learned many things in this month", said the cardinal, speaking of his fellow Argentine, 88, who is still battling double pneumonia in Rome's Gemelli Hospital but whose condition is slowly improving.
"He will be released from prison and after this difficult time he will be fruitful for the Church and for the world".
When asked if his resignation could be among the surprises, Fernandez replied: "I really don't think so, no".
Fernandez spoke on the sidelines of the presentation of the Pope's book "Viva la poesia" edited by Jesuit Fr. Antonio Spadaro (for Ares editions).
Fernandez added that the pope was doing very well but had to relearn how to speak, and his return for Easter "depends on the doctors"."The Pope is doing very well but the high-flow oxygen dries everything out. He has to learn to speak again but his body is as it was before."When asked if he will be in the Vatican for Easter, Fernandez replied: "He could return but the doctors want to be 100% sure because he thinks that in the little time he has left he wants to spend everything for others and not for himself." The cardinal recalled that "the Pope did not want to go to the hospital, very close friends convinced him, I don't know what swear words they used...", joked the Argentine cardinal. "But he is a Jesuit from another era, a strong man, who always has the ability to find meaning even in these dark times."
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