"Absolutely no," says Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Instead, during their three hospital meetings, they've discussed issues of the Church that need dealt with.
During his three meetings so far at the Gemelli hospital with Pope Francis, there has been “absolutely no” talk of the Pope retiring, assured Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin on March 17, 2025. The Vatican's Number 2 spoke about the Pontiff's health when answering questions from journalists on the sidelines of an interreligious meeting in Rome.
The few people who have been able to see the Pope since he arrived at the hospital on February 14 are the “numbers 2 and 3” of the Holy See, Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and his deputy, Monsignor Edgar Peña Parra. They have been officially received three times in his medical apartment on the 10th floor: on February 24, March 2, and March 9.
