(John L. Allen Jr., Crux) By now, Pope Francis has denied that he’s on the brink of resigning so often that it’s virtually become part of his verbal “Greatest Hits” collection, akin to his rhetoric on the evils of clericalism or the dignity of migrants. Although he’s 85 and suffering from acute pain in the right knee related to osteoarthritis, Francis just wrapped up a grueling week-long trip to Canada, and he’s preparing for a consistory to create new cardinals later this month, followed by two days of intense meetings with all the cardinals of the world. (...)
