"Death" and "agony". Pope, Archbishop Forte's dark words break a taboo: hours of anxiety

The Pope is still in a reserved prognosis. Yesterday evening's bulletin reported a slight improvement, but in fact the situation remains critical. And this is confirmed by the words of Archbishop Bruno Forte , one of the prelates closest to the Pope, whose latest encyclical he edited. And in the words of the Archbishop, for the first time, in an interview with Corriere, the word "death" appears: "You see, we all pray and hope that Francis recovers. I myself, in my diocese of Chieti-Vasto, have invited people to recite a prayer that among other things says: "Guard him in your love and give him health and strength to continue carrying out his ministry of charity, truth, justice and peace".

It is natural that this is the invocation of the faithful. But in all of this there can also be something else. It would be nice if this were the occasion to speak about death in more serene terms. To show what it means for Christians, for believers , precisely by looking at the testimony of the Pope". And again: "It is natural that he wishes to get better and to be able to continue his service, his evangelical drive, the task that God has entrusted to him. We all hope so. But there is no doubt that in these moments he puts himself totally in the hands of the Lord, knowing that God's plan, whatever it may be, precedes us. It is this serenity of his, his total trust, that is exemplary".

Finally he adds: "When so much fuss is made about the hypotheses of the conclave, the succession, the most important aspect is forgotten: a man who is before the eyes of the world and is giving us the testimony of how a believer faces illness, aware that he may also face the end of life, and experiences all this with abandon, serenity and trust in God. Because death, for a man of faith, is a passage. Nothing is interrupted. There is a door there. With death one fights, in Greek agonía means precisely this: fight. However, in a vision of faith, beyond death there is nothing. It is not the end, it is the welcome of God and his judgment of love".