Pope seriously ill
An Austrian cardinal close to Pope John Paul II yesterday said the pontiff was close to “dying.”
Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, the Archbishop of Vienna, told Austrian radio: “The entire world is experiencing a pope who is sick, who is disabled and who is dying – I don’t know how near death he is – who is approaching the last days and months of his life.”
The 83-year-old head of the Roman Catholic Church suffers from Parkinson’s Disease and arthritis.
The Pope’s health has discernibly declined in recent months, according to media reports.
The apparent decline in the Pope’s health has raised questions about papal succession.
Some bishops have suggested his successor could be of African descent, possibly Cardinal Arinze.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, senior aide to the Pope, reportedly said last week that John Paul was “in a bad way.”
The Pope cancelled his weekly general audience last Wednesday because of health worries.
