Pope Francis denied that he had thought of resigning his pontificate due to health problems suffered in recent months. “It never crossed my mind to quit”He said and launched a surprising interpretation of the place where these rumors may have originated: Argentina.
“I don’t know where they got last week that I was going to present my resignation! What word have they taken in my homeland? That’s where the news came from”, Jorge Bergoglio launched in an interview on a Spanish radio that had advanced part of its content two days ago.
Jorge Bergoglio’s surprising questioning is part of the conversation in which he had said that a nurse saved his life before his hospitalization, in which last July 4 he underwent surgery for a severe diverticular stenosis with signs of sclerosing diverticulitis.
“And they say that (the resignation rumor) was a stir, when it didn’t even cross my mind. In front of interpretations that are born a little distorted of some word of mine, I keep quiet, because clarifying is worse, “he added during the talk about his presumed resignation.
Strictly speaking, the first medium that had spoken of his possible resignation from the pontificate was the ultra-conservative Italian daily Libero. “When a Pope is sick, there is a breeze or a conclave hurricane”said the Bishop of Rome to relativize those versions.
“I lead a normal life”
During the interview with radio COPE, Francisco assured that after his operation he leads “a normal life” and that, even, has planned several trips after the surgical intervention in which they removed “33 centimeters of intestine”, as detailed. “Now I can eat everything” and also take medication, because “the brain has to register that it has 33 centimeters less intestine,” he joked.
The Pope is planning a trip to Budapest and Slovakia September 12-15. He recognized that perhaps in this first trip he will have to rest a little more “because one has to recover completely.” “But in the end it will be the same as the others, he will see it,” he added with ease.
He also confirmed that he has a visit to Glasgow (UK) for next November, when the climate summit, known as COP26, will take place. He will also travel to Cyprus, Greece and malt and left the door open for a visit to Santiago de Compostela, although not to the rest of Spain.
On the corruption scandals in the Vatican
The Argentine pope also referred to the trial for irregularities faced by ten people closely linked to the Vatican bank. One of them is Cardinal Angelo Becciu, substitute for the Secretary of State and whom the pope forced him to resign and renounce his cardinal rights.
The former cardinal on trial “was a collaborator of mine and helped me a lot. He is a person whom I have a certain esteem as a person, that is, my wish is that it turns out well “, but” now it is justice that will decide“he said about it
“I’m not afraid of transparency or the truth. Sometimes it hurts, a lot, but the truth is what makes us free”Francisco stressed.
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