# Pope Francis is on "absolute rest" for bronchitis: Feb 2025 **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** breaking-news\ **Created:** [February 15, 2025, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-is-on-absolute-rest-for-bronchitis-feb-2025/1014368 "2025-02-15T23:23:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-is-on-absolute-rest-for-bronchitis-feb-2025/1014368/101 "2025-03-24T15:50:56Z")
I love this place, you are my people. (I’m sorry for y’all, you are stuck with me 😛 ) ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-is-on-absolute-rest-for-bronchitis-feb-2025/1014368/102 "2025-03-24T15:55:33Z")
He can always abdicate; Benedict XVI broke that taboo. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-is-on-absolute-rest-for-bronchitis-feb-2025/1014368/103 "2025-03-24T16:34:06Z")
Really? Huh. In my defence, it’s been over thirty years since I last heard It. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-is-on-absolute-rest-for-bronchitis-feb-2025/1014368/104 "2025-03-24T17:25:21Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > He can always abdicate; Benedict XVI broke that taboo. He certainly could, though Benedict’s stepping down was pretty controversial within the church. I get the sense that Francis is dedicated to the job, and also seems to be maybe a bit stubborn over his health. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-is-on-absolute-rest-for-bronchitis-feb-2025/1014368/105 "2025-03-24T20:59:38Z")
TIL that Cleese was likely referring to the poem “The Choir Invisible” by Eliot in the Dead Parrot Sketch… > **[Poems That Every Child Should Know/The Choir Invisible - Wikisource, the free...](https://en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/Poems_That_Every_Child_Should_Know/The_Choir_Invisible)** ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-is-on-absolute-rest-for-bronchitis-feb-2025/1014368/106 "2025-03-24T21:25:43Z")
Benedict didn’t set a precedent by stepping down. The first Pope to step down was Celestine. Granted, that was a long time ago, but the Church has a long memory. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-is-on-absolute-rest-for-bronchitis-feb-2025/1014368/107 "2025-03-24T21:30:58Z")
Hey! Happy Birthday, @kenobi_65! It’s my wife’s, too. Today, she turned… ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2025, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-is-on-absolute-rest-for-bronchitis-feb-2025/1014368/108 "2025-04-06T18:44:27Z")
> Pope Francis has made a surprise appearance in St Peter’s Square during a special jubilee mass for the sick and health workers, **marking his first public appearance at the Vatican since his discharge from hospital two weeks ago**. > > The pontiff waved at the crowd that stood and applauded as he was appeared unannounced, assisted in a wheelchair to the front of the altar in the square. > **[Pope Francis makes surprise appearance in St Peter’s Square for jubilee mass](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/06/pope-francis-makes-surprise-appearance-in-st-peters-square-for-jubilee-mass)** > > Pontiff makes first public appearance in the Vatican since his release from hospital two weeks ago ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2025, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-is-on-absolute-rest-for-bronchitis-feb-2025/1014368/109 "2025-04-06T21:05:12Z")
Fascinating use of language: “He was appeared,” making “appear” a transitive verb with a direct object, just as the Argentine Dirty War coined the use of “disappear” as a transitive verb—_desaparecido_. Now that infamous verb has an antonym: Frankie is the opposite of “disappeared,” he has been “appeared” (presumably by the Entity, who prefer to be called “Friends of the Vatican”). El papá no fue desaparecido—fue _aparecido_. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2025, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-is-on-absolute-rest-for-bronchitis-feb-2025/1014368/110 "2025-04-06T21:12:57Z")
I’m guessing that that’s just sloppy editing from The Guardian, possibly prompted by a poor translation from the original source which was probably in Italian. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2025, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-is-on-absolute-rest-for-bronchitis-feb-2025/1014368/111 "2025-04-06T21:14:49Z")
I’m always on the lookout for linguistic innovation. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2025, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-is-on-absolute-rest-for-bronchitis-feb-2025/1014368/112 "2025-04-07T00:52:04Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Fascinating use of language: “He was appeared,” making “appear” a transitive verb with a direct object, Considering the time of year, they should’ve gone with “He is risen!” ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2025, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-is-on-absolute-rest-for-bronchitis-feb-2025/1014368/113 "2025-04-07T01:16:23Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Considering the time of year, they should’ve gone with “He is risen!” Only if he had stood up from the wheelchair. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2025, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-is-on-absolute-rest-for-bronchitis-feb-2025/1014368/114 "2025-04-07T01:18:42Z")
I was half-hoping for a Willy Wonka somersault. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-is-on-absolute-rest-for-bronchitis-feb-2025/1014368/115 "2025-04-21T08:18:28Z")
Just announced that he has died > **[Pope Francis dies aged 88, Vatican says](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/crknlnzlrzdt)** > > The Pope died on Easter Monday morning, the Vatican says, as a top cardinal pays tribute to "his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus". ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-is-on-absolute-rest-for-bronchitis-feb-2025/1014368/116 "2025-04-21T08:50:44Z")
I wonder how conservative the next Pope will be, considering the waves made by Francis. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-is-on-absolute-rest-for-bronchitis-feb-2025/1014368/117 "2025-04-21T10:29:29Z")
I read somewhere that he has appointed the majority of the cardinals young enough to vote. Here it is: _Since Pope Francis was elected in 2013, he has appointed about two-thirds of the cardinals who are eligible to elect the next pope._ _“Close to half the cardinals are now from the global south. They have issues that are different to issues in Europe and the US. They’re concerned about global warming, poverty, civil wars, corruption in government,” said Father Reese, a historian of the Church and a columnist for Religion News Service._ _“All politics is local. Every cardinal wants to know how the next pope will be viewed in their country. Is he someone who will listen to me, who speaks my language? They could choose a cardinal from the global south.”_ > **[Who will be the next pope? Eight candidates on the conclave’s list](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/21/new-pope-elected-succeed-francis-conclave-cardinals-vatican/)** > > Predicting who will be chosen as the next leader of the Catholic world is notoriously fraught with difficulties ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-is-on-absolute-rest-for-bronchitis-feb-2025/1014368/118 "2025-04-21T11:01:14Z")
He died within hours of meeting JD Vance. I think that would tip me over too. Seriously though, he was a very good pope IMO, and served with compassion and courage. RIP ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-is-on-absolute-rest-for-bronchitis-feb-2025/1014368/119 "2025-04-21T11:25:43Z")
Specific Papal death thread also opened here [The Pope has died - #21 by Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pope-has-died/1017296/21) ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-is-on-absolute-rest-for-bronchitis-feb-2025/1014368/120 "2025-04-21T13:35:37Z")
And this thread appears to have become completely obsoleted. Although the title has become poignantly on-point. “Absolute rest”, indeed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-is-on-absolute-rest-for-bronchitis-feb-2025/1014368.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pope-francis-is-on-absolute-rest-for-bronchitis-feb-2025/1014368.md?page=7)