Rome
Act Daily News
—
Pope Francis has revealed in a brand new interview that he has already signed his resignation letter for use within the occasion of him changing into “impaired.”
Francis made the remark in an interview with Spanish news outlet ABC, printed Sunday, when requested what would occur if a pope is out of the blue rendered unable to carry out his duties attributable to well being points or an accident.
Francis mentioned he wrote the letter a number of years in the past and gave it to then-Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who resigned in 2013.
“I have already signed my renunciation. The Secretary of State at the time was Tarcisio Bertone. I signed it and said: ‘If I should become impaired for medical reasons or whatever, here is my renunciation,’” Francis was quoted as saying.
“I don’t know who Cardinal Bertone has given that letter to, but I handed it to him when he was the Secretary of State,” Francis mentioned, including that this was the primary time he had spoken publicly concerning the letter’s existence.
Francis mentioned previous pontiffs Paul VI and Pious XII had additionally drafted their letters of renunciation within the occasion of a everlasting impairment.
Francis, 86, seems to be in good well being aside from knee issues. He has usually been seen with a strolling stick and generally makes use of a wheelchair attributable to ache in his proper knee.
Earlier this 12 months, he canceled a visit to Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan after docs mentioned he may also need to miss a later journey to Canada until he agreed to have 20 extra days of remedy and relaxation for his proper knee.
Last 12 months, he had surgical procedure to take away a part of his colon attributable to diverticulitis, a typical situation.
In 2013, Francis’ speedy predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, made the virtually unprecedented resolution to resign from his place, citing “advanced age” as the rationale and startling the Catholic world.
It marked the primary time a pope had stepped down in practically 600 years. The final pope to step down earlier than his loss of life was Gregory XII, who in 1415 stop to finish a civil warfare throughout the church by which a couple of man claimed to be pope.