ROME: Pope Francis revealed in a new interview published on Sunday that after he was elected in 2013 he signed a letter of resignation to be used if someday severe and permanent health problems made it impossible to carry out his duties.

Pope Francis, who turned 86 on Saturday and appears to be in good health except for a knee ailment, made the comment in an interview with the Spanish newspaper ABC.

He said he gave the letter to then Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who was a holdover from the previous papacy of Benedict XVI. Bertone remained in the position for about six months after Pope Francis was elected on March 13, 2013.

Pope Francis has often said he would resign if health impaired him from running the 1.3 billion-member Roman Catholic Church.

Pope Francis was asked if he believed an official norm should be established for cases when health problems or an accident impeded a pope.

“I have already signed my resignation. Tarcisio Bertone was Secretary of State. I signed it and I told him: ‘In case of impediment for medical reasons or whatever, here is my resignation’,” he was quoted as saying.

“You have it. I don’t know to whom Cardinal Bertone may have given it, but I gave it to him when he was Secretary of State,” Pope Francis said, adding he was revealing it for the first time in public.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2022