Pope Francis 'continues to be a maverick' amid his recovery

The Vatican’s spokesperson said the next day that recent outings were proof that the pope’s health is improving. But there are possibly other motives at play

Pope Francis talks to journalists as he leaves at the end of his visit to the Regina Coeli penitentiary in Rome on Holy Thursday. Photo: AP/Andrew Medichini

Lorena Araujo Piñeiro was putting the finishing touches to the restoration of the 17th-century tomb of Pope Urban VIII, a dark bronze and gold monument in St Peter’s Basilica, when she noticed a man wearing a striped poncho-like top, black trousers and no shoes, being pushed in a wheelchair towards her.

“It was around noon and the basilica was practically empty,” said Piñeiro, a restorer. “I struggled to recognise who it was … I thought he was a simple pilgrim. It was as if he’d just got out of bed.” 

The man in the wheelchair was Pope Francis, who had come by to thank Piñeiro and her colleague, Michela Malfanti, for their work.

It was the second time in a few days that the pontiff, who almost died in February during a severe bout of pneumonia, had made a surprise public appearance since being discharged from hospital on March 23, defying doctors’ orders to rest for at least two months. 

On the first occasion he appeared at Sunday mass in St Peter’s Square. He also privately met Britain's Charles and Camilla during their state visit to Italy.

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Francis delegated cardinals to lead Holy Week liturgies, although he maintained the Maundy Thursday tradition of visiting inmates at Rome’s Regina Coeli prison, and is expected to make another appearance during Easter Sunday mass.

But the jaunt to the basilica from his home next door in Casa Santa Marta was daring. Not only was he without his traditional papal robes – something that irked the more conservative faction of the Catholic church – but Francis, who is using a nasal cannula to help him breathe, readily shook hands with both restorers, as well as a child who was in the basilica.

“We hesitated to approach him as we thought he might have felt a little ashamed because he wasn’t officially dressed,” said Piñeiro. “But he didn’t care. He seemed like a very happy, curious person.” 

The Vatican’s spokesperson said the next day that the outings were proof that the pope’s health is improving. But there are possibly other motives at play. 

“If you think back to when he was elected pope and decided to forgo the traditional vestments and to live in Casa Santa Marta, he came in as a maverick,” said Christopher White, Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter. 

Now, at 88, and after a very serious hospitalisation, he continues to be a maverick. 

White believes the reasons are twofold: “One, he really does believe that being with people is the best medicine. As a pastor, he has a duty to be out and public-facing,” he said. 

“But I also think there’s a political calculation. He’s politically astute and would have read the papers and all the endless speculation about his health, possible resignation and conclave. I think he’s trying to channel pretty concrete ways of saying ‘I’m here, and I’m in charge’.”

The Guardian