Pope Francis says he has no plans to resign and isn’t affected by any well being issues that will require doing so, saying in a brand new memoir he nonetheless has “many projects to bring to fruition.”
Francis, 87, made the feedback in an autobiography, Life: My Story Through History, which is being revealed Tuesday, the eleventh anniversary of his set up as pope. Extensive excerpts have been revealed Thursday within the Italian day by day Corriere della Sera.
In the memoir, written with Italian journalist Fabio Marchese Ragona, Francis traces key moments of his life and their intersection with world occasions (World War II, Argentina’s army dictatorship and Vatican intrigue) and the way they collectively inform his priorities as pope.
Significantly, he addresses recurring hypothesis about his well being issues, criticism from conservatives and what each could imply for the way forward for his preach. Such questions have all the time surrounded the papacy however the prospect of a papal resignation solely grew to become a actuality with the late Pope Benedict XVI ‘s historic 2013 retirement.
Francis, who had a part of one lung eliminated as a younger man, has been battling bronchitis, the flu and a chilly on and off this winter and for the previous two weeks has requested an aide to learn most of his speeches. He had a piece of his massive gut eliminated in 2021 and was hospitalized 3 times final yr, together with as soon as to take away intestinal scar tissue from earlier surgical procedures to deal with diverticulosis, or bulges in his intestinal wall.
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In his memoir, he pressured that the papacy is a job for all times however that “if a serious physical impediment” happens, he has already penned a letter of resignation that’s being held within the Secretariat of State.
“But this is, I repeat, a distant possibility, because I truly do not have any cause serious enough to make me think of resigning,” he stated. “Some people may have hoped that sooner or later, perhaps after a stay in the hospital, I might make an announcement of that kind, but there is no risk of it: Thanks be to God, I enjoy good health, and as I have said, there are many projects to bring to fruition, God willing.”
Francis acknowledged that critics contained in the Vatican and out have accused him of destroying the papacy and have tried to dam the reforms that he was mandated by cardinals to enact on account of his 2013 election.
“There was a strong desire to change things, to abandon certain attitudes, which, sadly, have proved difficult to eradicate,” he stated. “Needless to say, there are always some who wish to put the brakes on reform, who want things always to stay as they were during the days of pope kings.”
In the memoir, Francis doubled down on his current determination to permit Catholic clergymen to bless same-sex {couples} and denied that the criticism that erupted may cut up the church. Africa’s bishops as a complete, in addition to particular person conservative bishops world wide, have stated they’d not observe the brand new directive.
“I just want to say that God loves everyone, especially sinners. And if my brother bishops, according to their discernment, decide not to follow this path it doesn’t mean that this is the antechamber to schism, because the church’s doctrine is not brought into question,” Francis stated.
He reaffirmed his help for civil unions whereas ruling out homosexual marriage, saying “it is right that these people who experience the gift of love should have the same legal protections as everyone else.”
He reasoned that Jesus hung out with individuals who lived on the margins of society “and that is what the church should be doing today with members of the LGBTQ+ community.”
“Make them feel at home, especially those who have been baptized and are in every respect among God’s people,” he stated. “And those who have not been baptized and would like to be, or who would like to be godfathers or godmothers: let them be welcomed, please; let them follow a careful pathway to personal discernment.”
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