Benedict XVI asked for forgiveness and thanked God in his last published letter

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died on Dec. 31 in a Vatican monastery aged 95, has apologized to those he “harmed,” according to his spiritual testament published after his death.

Benedict XVI, who was the first pontiff in nearly 600 years to resign rather than hold the post for life, was elected pope in April 2005 after the death of John Paul II.

In his will, Bento spoke of the “many reasons” he had to be grateful for his life.

In the letter, dated August 29, 2006, the pope emeritus thanked God for having guided him “well” throughout his life. He also expressed his gratitude to his parents, who, he says, gave him “life at a difficult time”.

He thanked his sister for her “unselfish” help and his brother for the “clarity of judgment” he shared with him.

Joseph Ratzinger was known to be more conservative than his successor, Pope Francis, who took steps to soften the Vatican’s stance on abortion and homosexuality, as well as doing more to address the sexual abuse crisis that has gripped the Church in recent years. years old.

In the 2006 letter, the pope emeritus “sincerely” asked for “forgiveness” for those he had “harmed in any way”.

In his last words, the pontiff asked “humbly”, despite all his “sins and defects”, that God welcome him to heaven.

In a separate letter released by the Vatican in February 2022, Benedict XVI issued a blanket apology to survivors of abuse, saying: “Once again, I can only express to all victims of sexual abuse my deep shame, my deep pain. and my sincere apology”, but did not admit to any personal or specific crimes.

There is no indication that his apology in his final letter relates to how the Catholic Church has handled allegations of sexual abuse against priests.

*Jack Guy, Valentina Di Donato, Sugam Pokharel, Sharon Braithwaite, James Frater and Allegra Goodwin, from CNN contributed to this report