Pope's ill health rekindles debate on ability to lead

ROME -- For the first time in his 26-year papacy, Pope John Paul II will not lead the Sunday blessing known as ''the Angelus" today, Vatican officials said, because doctors have advised that he should not speak while recovering from surgery to assist his breathing.

His silence marks a profound moment in his papacy, Vatican officials and Catholic theologians say, reflecting a shift in which the frail, 84-year-old pope will be physically unable to lead the world's 1 billion Catholics.

For some Catholics, the recent deterioration of John Paul's health has put a sharp focus on whether he is still able to preside over the day-to-day functioning of the church and whether he should step aside as his health further declines from Parkinson's disease exacerbated by the flu.

''We are going to have more of these hospital emergencies, that is the nature of Parkinson's. So questions are raised, 'Is the pope up to it?' " said the Rev. Keith Pecklers, an American Jesuit and a theology professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

''Those inside the Vatican are saying the pope has been able to work only three hours a day leading a church which serves tremendous needs all over the world, and which requires great attention to the appointment of bishops and the governance of a worldwide institution," Pecklers said in an interview.

Vatican officials and Catholic theologians say that through his suffering, the pope believes he comes closer to those all over the world who are ill and elderly, and closer to understanding the suffering of Jesus.

''This is not a question of clinging to power, it's a question of living up to the responsibility of his vocation. It is a very spiritual way of teaching and living out his message as the Holy Father," said John Wauck, an American cleric of the conservative religious order of Opus Dei and a professor at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.

If John Paul were to resign, he would not be the first pope in history to do so. Canon Law clearly spells out the procedure for such action. Papal historians estimate that as many as nine popes have quit either under duress, due to mental illness, or through internecine struggles that threatened the unity of the church.

But no pontiff has stepped down in the past seven centuries, and only one officially resigned within the definition of a resignation as spelled out in Canon Law. That was Pope Celestine V, who resigned in 1294.

After Pope Paul VI died in 1978, a letter was uncovered in his papers in which he spelled out in one sentence that if he were to become incapacitated that he would ask the cardinals to consider his resignation. It is widely speculated that John Paul has signed a letter along these lines, although it has never been officially disclosed.

There are deep concerns about the process by which the pope would be determined to be ''incapacitated" and who would make that decision.

Pecklers, who has supported an open discussion of the pope's resignation, said: ''The reality now is that we have moved beyond the point where resignation can be considered. If he had intended to resign, he would have by now.

''But what we can say for sure is that at the top of the agenda in the next pontificate will be a discussion of these issues. . . . They cannot and should not remain unresolved."

There is widespread agreement that in a modern age when life can be prolonged through advanced medical procedures, it is essential to determine how to deal with a pope's long, drawn-out illness.

John Allen, an author of books on inner workings of the church and the Rome correspondent for the American-based National Catholic Reporter, said the debate over resignation involves not just medical ethics and the administration of the church, but also politics and cultural differences.

Liberal factions that oppose the pope's conservative agenda have argued in favor of resignation out of a desire for the church to head in a new direction under new leadership, Allen said. But some conservative Catholics have argued that the church's moral voice needs to be heard and that work could be jeopardized by a pope who is incapacitated, he added.

Many Vatican officials say they disagree, and that the church can function well even if the pope is not physically able to govern. One Vatican official said: ''When the pope is unable to carry out his daily functions, the sacraments of the church go on. The kinds of decisions the pope has to make don't require an active pope, he can write yes or no, or he can nod his head if he has to fulfill his capacity."

Other church leaders -- liberals and conservatives -- worry that the pope's resignation could create a schism in the church, and that having one strong leader is important for the continuity of the church.

The vast majority of the clerical hierarchy of the church understands and supports the pope's desire to stay on and live out his mission, according to Vatican observers. Although there has been no formal poll, it is widely believed that the majority of lay Catholics see wisdom and humanity in the pope stepping down.

''Among American Catholics, I would estimate 70 percent would say it is time for him to resign," Allen said. ''America is a place heavily influenced by corporate culture, where efficiency and productivity are the Holy Grail, it just makes sense. That is what you do when you get old, you retire."

An American Vatican official said, ''We are looking at a series of episodes which will lead to the end of his life. This is the nature of Parkinson's, and so you don't have to be a medical genius to see that he is in the final struggle.

''But as far as a resignation, there is no chance of it happening," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. ''Not because he wants to, not because he has to, but because he sees his role in leading the church as the role of a father in a family. When you are a father, that is what you are, even when you are dying."

The officials said that when the pope is silent today, ''he will still be teaching us, and it may be the most important lesson he's given us."

A Vatican statement yesterday said the prayers of the ''Angelus," a blessing that has been a defining part of this papacy, would be read by an aide and the pope would ''participate" from his bedside at the hospital where he was rushed on Thursday. He underwent a surgical procedure in which a tube was inserted in his throat to help him breathe better.

Many Italians have said they believe the pontiff is sending a positive signal to Catholics by not resigning.

''He represents God, and I believe that it should be left to God to decide when his mission is complete," said Consiglia Vergari, who was visiting her husband in Gemelli Hospital, where the pope is being treated.

But if John Paul were to choose to resign because he felt that physically he could no longer serve, Vergari believes that most Italians would respect his decision.

''He is such a charismatic figure. . . . As long as he was not being pressured to resign by other members of the church then Italians would understand."

Stephen Heuser of the Globe staff and correspondent Alexandra Salomon contributed to this report from Rome.