The pope’s visit to Celestine’s tomb has long been a proven strategy to spark rumors that he might step down: In a recent episode of the “Inside the Vatican” podcast, Mr. O’Connell said that Paul VI ignited rumors of his resignation by visiting the location of Celestine’s death decades before Benedict XVI’s 2009 visit when he put his pallium on Celestine’s tomb.
These three occasions—the August consistory, the trip to Aquila, and the cardinals’ get-to-know-you gathering—along with pictures of the pope writhing in agony as he made his way to his seat for Pentecost Mass last Sunday has led some to speculate that the pope may be preparing to step down in August. The reasoning goes that since he has finished reforming the Roman Curia, perhaps it is time.
Who is the first Pope to step down and why?
The first pope in history to leave office voluntarily was Celestine V. (As a result, Dante assigned him a permanent place in the Inferno.) Celestine, a monk who was from the start an unwilling pontiff, was selected as pope as a type of conciliatory gesture in a divided church. After five months as pope, he resigned.
