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Pope Francis has had his resignation letter ready for almost a decade, in case health problems prevent him from carrying out his duties. This is what he says in an interview with the Spanish newspaper ABC. “I signed the letter and told the then Secretary of State Bertone: ‘In case of impossibility to participate for medical or other reasons, here is my resignation'”.
It is the first time that Francesco (86) refers to such a letter of resignation, after a year in which health problems have emerged more often. Last summer he spent much of his visit to Canada confined to a wheelchair due to persistent knee problems. Previous popes such as Pius XII (1939-1958) and Paul VI (1963-1978) had a similar letter ready, the pope says, but they ultimately held office until their deaths.
Head of a woman for the first time
Francis’ predecessor, Benedict XVI, retired in 2013 for health reasons and now lives close to Vatican City. “I visit it often,” Francis says in the interview. “He’s in a good mood, he’s bright, alive and well. He’s soft-spoken, but follows the news. I admire his intelligence.”
In the interview, Francis also announces that within two years, for the first time, he will appoint a woman to head a dicastery, a subdivision of the administrative apparatus of the Roman Catholic Church. He notes that this is a department “of which a layman may be the head,” an unordered position. “If it is a dicastery of a sacramental nature, it must be presided over by a priest or a bishop”.
