Pope Francis, who turned 88 last month, says in a new book that he feels healthy and has no plans to step down as leader of the global Catholic Church.
“I’m fine,” says the pontiff in an autobiography on sale in more than 100 countries this Tuesday (14). “The reality is, quite simply, that I’m old.”
Francis, who now frequently uses a wheelchair due to knee and back pain, said that “the Church is governed using the head and the heart, not the legs.”
Last week, the pontiff asked an aide to read an important speech due to a cold.
Francis, a native of Argentina and the first pope in Latin America, has led the 1.4 billion-member Church since 2013.
He has suffered from flu and related problems several times over the past two years. The pontiff also underwent surgery in 2021 to treat a painful condition called diverticulitis, and again in 2023 to repair a hernia.
“Every time a pope falls ill, the winds of a conclave always seem to be blowing,” Francis says in the book, referring to the secret meeting of Catholic cardinals that will one day elect the next pontiff.
The Pope also highlights that even during the days of surgery “I never thought about resigning”.
Book would only be released after his death
The new volume, titled “Hope”, “Hope” in the literal translation, is the second of two books in two years, following a memoir that came out in March 2024.
Mondadori, the book’s Italian publisher, said the new volume was originally planned by Francis for release after his death.
But he decided it should be published during the ongoing Catholic Holy Year, which is also focusing on the theme of hope.
Throughout the 303-page volume, the pontiff analyzes his life growing up in Buenos Aires, his career as a bishop in Argentina and some of the decisions he made as leader of the global Church.
Francis strongly defends a 2024 decision to allow priests to offer blessings to same-sex couples on a case-by-case basis.
This decision triggered a wide debate in the Church, with bishops in some countries, particularly in Africa, refusing to let their priests implement it.
In a statement, the Pope stated that it is people who are blessed, not relationships. “Everyone in the Church is invited (to a blessing), including divorced people, including homosexual people, including transgender people.”
“Homosexuality is not a crime, it is a human fact,” he expresses.
This content was originally published in “The Church is governed using head and heart”, says Pope Francis in a new book on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil

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