Pope Francis has revealed that he has signed his resignation “in case of medical impediment”

At the end of a year full of speculation about his health, ePope Francis has confirmed that he has signed his resignation “in case of medical impediment”, which he drafted in 2013 and delivered to a trusted collaborator.

“I have already signed my resignation,” said Jorge Bergoglio, who turned 86 yesterday, in an interview published this Sunday by the Spanish newspaper ABC. It was when they asked him about it any cause of force majeure for termination of office for which he was elected on March 13, 2013.

“It was Tarcisio Bertone, the Secretary of State. I signed and told him: ‘In case of impediment for medical reasons or whatever, here is my resignation. They already have it'”, added the Pope, referring to the Italian cardinal who held the position of “number two” in the Vatican until October 2013.

Francis then added that he did not know “who Cardinal Bertone gave it to, but I gave it to him when I was secretary of state” and explained that his wish is let “know” that he has already signed his resignation. “That’s why I say it,” she said.

Francis’ revelation however, it is not a new practice in the Church. At least two other popes, the Italians Paul VI and Pius XII, also left their written resignations in advance in case they could not continue due to health problems.

This year various media will speculate on his resignation after a series of ailments. Francisco has difficulty walking due to an inoperable knee problem which has forced him to use a wheelchair in recent months. He has also had to cancel or cut back on activities multiple times in the last year due to pain.

In an interview in July he acknowledged that he needed to slow down. “I think that at my age and with this limitation, I have to save myself a little to be able to serve the church. Or, alternatively, think about the possibility of stepping aside,” he said later.

In this context, the Pope referred to his predecessor Benedict XVI, who resigned in February 2013.

“I visit him often and I come away edified by his transparent gaze. He lives in contemplation. He is in a good mood, he is lucid, very lively, speak softly but follow the conversation. I admire your intelligence. It’s fantastic,” Bergoglio said of 95-year-old Joseph Ratzinger.

In return, the Pope argued that he would tell his successors “not to make the mistakes” he made. “Yes, there are, yes”, he acknowledged, although without specifying them.

The request for Peru and Central America

Francisco he called for “dialogue” to overcome “the political and social crisis” in Peruwhich is accompanied by a series of protests that have already caused about twenty deaths.

“Let us pray for peace in Peru so that the violence in the country ceases and the path of dialogue is undertaken to overcome the political and social crisis afflicting the population”, the pontiff called this Sunday after reciting the Sunday Angelus from the Vatican.

In the interview with ABC, the pope also answered a question about voices in Central America asking the Vatican to be more incisive against totalitarian regimes such as that of Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua or Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.

“The Holy See always seeks to save peoples. Their weapon is dialogue and diplomacy. The Holy See never goes alone, it always tries to save diplomatic relations and to save what can be saved with patience and dialogue”.