Pope Francis turned 87 on Sunday, closing out a year that saw big milestones in his efforts to make changes in the Catholic Church as well as health scares that raise questions about his future in office. Francis celebrated his birthday with cake during a festive audience with children Sunday morning, and there were "Happy Birthday" banners in St. Peter's Square during his weekly noon blessing, the AP reports. "It was quite a year for a pope who's obviously thinking about legacy and finishing up," said Christopher Bellitto, professor of history at Kean University in New Jersey.
Only seven popes are known to have been older than Francis at the time of their deaths, according to the online resource Catholic Hierarchy. Francis has said he would consider resigning if his health made him unable to carry on, but since then he said the job of pope is for life. Twice this year, respiratory issues forced him to cancel big events: In spring, a bout of acute bronchitis landed him in the hospital and made him miss the Good Friday procession at the Colosseum. More recently, a new case of bronchitis forced him to cancel a planned trip to Dubai to participate in the UN climate conference. Francis had part of one lung removed as a young man and seems increasingly prone to respiratory problems that make breathing difficult and speaking even more so.
In between those events, he was hospitalized again in June for nine days for surgeons to repair an abdominal hernia and remove scar tissue from previous intestinal surgeries, per the AP. The hospitalizations have raised questions about Francis' ability to continue the globetrotting rigors of the modern-day papacy, which is increasingly dependent on the person of the pope, said David Gibson, director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University. "It's a great improvement from the time when the pope was just a king in his throne surrounded by a royal court," Gibson said. "But with such expectations can any pope govern into his 80s and even 90s and be effective?"
(More
Pope Francis stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
