Long Island Catholics pray for ailing Pope Francis, ponder eventual successor

A hospitalized Pope Francis is receiving prayers for a quick recovery from some Long Island Catholics even as they contemplate who might be the 88-year-old pontiff's eventual successor. 

Francis was admitted to a hospital in Rome on Friday and was diagnosed on Tuesday with pneumonia in both lungs, according to the Vatican.

 Francis is one of the oldest pontiffs in the church’s history. As a young man he had the upper lobe of his right lung removed and has suffered a series of lung-related ailments as pope. This is his fourth hospitalization since becoming pope in 2013. 

The Vatican said on Tuesday that he had slept well the previous night, ate breakfast, read some newspapers and was in good spirits.

Catholics on Long Island interviewed by Newsday said Tuesday they hoped the pope recovered but acknowledged that they were worried, given his age and health problems.

Richard Russini, a Catholic from Bethpage, said he always prays for the pope but is adding extra prayers with the latest health scare.

"Of course I worry a little more about his health because of his age and his ability to bounce back, which he has done many times," Russini said. But the pope’s fate is "in God’s hands."

"He’s a good pope," Russini added. "He loves people. He’s a good shepherd."

Elizabeth Boylan, a Catholic from St. Agnes Cathedral parish in Rockville Centre, said, "We are all praying for his quick and full recovery ... He has persevered with many health conditions" though "concerns over his health have been mounting in the past few years, and his abilities to fulfill his duties are of particular importance on the global church."

The Diocese of Rockville Centre, one of the largest dioceses in the United States with 1.2 million baptized Catholics, said in a statement: "The Holy Father is always prayed for at every Mass, and we encourage all people of good will to remember him in their prayers at this time."

Popes typically serve until their death, though Francis’s predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, resigned in 2013 at the age of 85, citing a "lack of strength of mind and body." He was the first pope in 600 years to step down. He died in 2022 at age 95.

"I think he will stay working as long as he can. He feels that this is the job that God called him to do," said the Rev. Thomas Reese, a senior analyst at Religion News Service, an independent news agency. "Once he gets to the point where he feels he cannot do the job anymore he’ll do the same thing that Benedict did. He’ll step aside for the good of the church."

Who will succeed Pope Francis?

Whatever happens, some Long Island Catholics said the pope’s hospitalization also has them wondering about his eventual successor. 

"My only hope is that he has worked it out that he has someone like himself to follow," said Connie Loos, a Catholic from Kings Park. "I think he’s been a good pope. He was a good choice."

Jack O’Connell, a former Catholic priest and the retired CEO of the Health & Welfare Council of Long Island said of any possible successor: "I do think, ‘Wow, we could be in for a radical change.’ It could actually be a good radical change. It could also be a bad radical change."

When the time comes, the College of Cardinals, a group of 138 cardinals, will gather in the Sistine Chapel in Rome to name a new pope. The pope appoints cardinals, and Francis has named most of them. 

Reese said anything is possible, since the selection of many pontiffs, including John Paul II and Francis himself, was a surprise.

Phil Cicero, a Catholic from Massapequa and a former school superintendent, said he was praying for Francis more than usual.

"He is the church’s spiritual leader. He gives us tremendous guidance and interpretation of church law," Cicero said.

Jose Estrada, a parishioner at St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church in Riverhead, said in Spanish, "of course I am worried for him. He is a great leader for us. He’s an example to follow."