Yesterday, Corriere della Sera became the world's first newspaper to publish portions from Pope Francis' biography. In the book, the Pontiff discusses the repercussions of his many hospitalizations in the Vatican: "Some were more engaged in politics, campaigning, and even thinking about a new conclave. Rest assured, it is human; there is no reason to be scandalized! When the Pope is in the hospital, many people share their opinions, and some speculate in the newspapers for personal gain or profit. Fortunately, despite the terrible circumstances, I never considered retiring". He also recounts his elevation to the papal throne following Pope Benedict's resignation. Ratzinger meets with the cardinals and offers "unconditional reverence and obedience to the new Pope, who would be elected in conclave and was among us. On the other hand, I was saddened to see, over the years, how his figure as Pope Emeritus has been exploited for ideological and political purposes by unscrupulous people who, having not accepted his resignation, have thought of their own advantage and their own garden to cultivate, underestimating the dramatic possibility of a split within the Church". He further writes, "I believe that the Petrine ministry is ad vitam, and thus I see no reason for resignation. Things would change if a major physical hindrance occurred, and in that case, I had previously signed the letter of resignation at the start of the pontificate, which was lodged in the Secretariat of State. If this were to happen, I would no longer refer to myself as Pope Emeritus, but rather as Bishop Emeritus of Rome, and I would relocate to St. Mary Major to resume my duties as a confessor and bring communion to the ill. But this is a remote hypothesis, because I don't have any substantial reasons to consider renunciation. Someone may have hoped that sooner or later, perhaps after a hospitalization, I would make such an announcement, but there is no such risk: thanks be to the Lord, I am in good health, and, God willing, many tasks remain to be completed".
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