ISLAMABAD: In a fresh interview that was published on Sunday, Pope Francis disclosed that after winning the papal election in 2013 he had using signed a resignation letter. This letter had a piece of advice on using it if he were ever to fall sick with an ailment that made him unable to carry out duties.
According to Euronews, Francis made this revelation to Spain’s print news publication ABC. Presently, he is only suffering from a knee problem.
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone who was the Vatican secretary of state at that time, had received the letter. Bertone had been appointed during the time when Benedict XVI was the pope.
Pope Francis trashed resignation speculations in July
In a July interview, Francis had trashed speculations that he was set to resign and had repeated his well-known comment if he fell sick and could not carry out his duties then he would.
The first pope to ever resign was Benedict XVI, now 95, who resigned in 2013. That resignation was the first in six centuries.
Since that interview, Francis has visited Kazakhstan, Canada, and Bahrain and has plans to visit South Sudan along with the Democratic Republic of Congo in the early months of 2023.
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In Sunday’s interview, Francis disclosed that it was his belief that Pope Pius XII (1939-1958) and Pope Paul VI (1963-1978) had also signed such letters of resignation. Both Pius XII and Paul VI passed away while in office.
A Twitter user reacted to Pope Francis’ statement:
