Ailing Pope Francis Faces Conservative Resistance as Vatican Battle Looms

The Vatican is on edge. Pope Francis, 88 years old and increasingly frail, has become the focal point of an ideological war within the Catholic Church. His health concerns—he has only one lung and is frequently hospitalized—have fueled speculation about the Church’s future, and conservatives are preparing for a seismic shift.

For over a decade, Pope Francis has led the Church with a progressive agenda, appointing women to high-ranking Vatican positions, advocating for climate policies, and adopting a softer tone on issues like homosexuality and capitalism. “Women have been running things since the Garden of Eden,” the Pope recently quipped, defending his appointment of Sister Raffaella Petrini as the first woman to lead the Vatican City State.

But many in the Church—and especially in the United States—see these reforms as a dangerous deviation from Catholic tradition. “Francis is creating a Church that barely resembles what we grew up with,” says Cardinal Raymond Burke, a prominent conservative critic. “There’s a fine line between inclusion and erasing core doctrine.”

The U.S. Catholic clergy has grown more conservative in response. A 2023 survey found that more than half of the country’s 3,500 priests identify as “conservative” or “orthodox.” Not a single priest ordained after 2020 described himself as “very progressive.” The faithful are also shifting: Catholic support for former President Donald Trump has surged, with many seeing him as a defender of religious liberty against the encroachment of globalist policies.

In Rome, tensions run high. A Vatican official, speaking anonymously, claims the Pope is surrounded by a “Spanish-speaking progressive elite” that seeks to control the next conclave. “There are two main factions,” the official explains. “A radical leftist group that aligns with socialist regimes and a well-organized gay lobby. If you’re not with them, you’re against them.”

Meanwhile, the American political scene is colliding with Vatican affairs. President Trump, who has clashed with the Pope before, recently appointed Brian Burch—an outspoken critic of Francis—as U.S. ambassador to the Vatican. The move has been seen as a direct challenge to the Pope’s influence. “This is a clear message,” says political analyst John Kenneth White. “The Vatican’s progressive drift won’t go unchallenged.”

As speculation swirls about the next conclave, conservatives are watching closely. Francis remains defiant, but his health is waning. Many Cardinals, some already dubbed “papal kingmakers,” are carefully strategizing. The battle for the future of the Catholic Church has begun, and the stakes have never been higher.