Pope Francis, 87, has once again made it clear that he is not thinking of resigning from the pontificate for the moment, when eleven years have just passed since he was elected in March 2013. According to what he says in an autobiography that will be published next week coming, an eventual resignation is a “distant hypothesis” that would only be carried out in the case of a “serious physical impediment”, despite the fact that, according to him, it is something that would interest some of his opponents in the Roman curia.
“There are those who were more interested in politics, in campaigning for elections, almost thinking about a new conclave,” says the Pontiff, speaking of his multiple hospitalizations. Rest assured, it’s human, there’s no need to be shocked! When the Pope is in the hospital, there are many thoughts, including those who speculate for his own personal benefits or to sell newspapers. Fortunately, despite the moments of difficulty, I have never thought about resigning.”
These are some reflections that will be published in the book Life: My Story Through History, which will go on sale in Italian and English on March 19 and from which Corriere della Sera previews some extracts this Thursday. In it, the Pope insists that he enjoys good health and that he still has many projects to carry out. In recent weeks, the Jesuit pope has had to give up making some speeches due to colds and his knee problems force him to travel in a wheelchair. But in his opinion, the “Petrine ministry is ad vitam”, and therefore the conditions for a resignation do not exist. “Someone, over the years, may have hoped that sooner or later, perhaps after a hospitalization, I would make such an announcement, but there is no such risk,” he warns.
“Things would change if a serious physical impediment occurred, and in that case I already signed the letter with the resignation that is deposited in the Secretariat of State at the beginning of the pontificate. If this were to happen, I would not call myself Pope Emeritus, but simply Bishop Emeritus of Rome, and I would move to Santa María Maggiore to become a confessor again,” recalls the Pontiff, who anticipated the existence of this letter some time ago.
In the book, Francis once again condemns abortion and surrogacy, and also defends his decision to bless homosexual couples, because “God loves everyone, especially sinners.” Furthermore, the Argentine pope explains that his defense of the poor and the marginalized does not make him a communist or a Marxist, and he does not avoid the attacks that he has received since the beginning of his pontificate. The one that has hurt him the most, he admits, is the one he was “soaked in destroying.” In his opinion, at the 2013 conclave there was a great desire to change things and abandon some attitudes. “There are always those who try to stop the reforms, who would like to remain immobile in the time of the pope-king,” he believes.
In a more personal speech, Jorge Mario Bergoglio remembers his grandparents, Piedmontese emigrants, and how his family escaped a shipwreck in which 300 people died at the beginning of the 20th century. He also talks about his passion for soccer and his refusal to watch the Argentine team’s matches on television, and even about the military coup in Argentina and his role in hiding three seminarians and in the release of two Jesuits kidnapped by the regime. In this he is also clear: “The accusations against me have continued until recently. “It was the revenge of some who knew how much I opposed those atrocities.”
