Pope Francis has admitted he has “already signed” his resignation letter in a weekend interview with a Spanish publication. Speaking to the newspaper ABC, the 86-year-old, who is currently healthy notwithstanding a prevailing knee ailment, said he signed a resignation letter at the beginning of his papacy in case he started suffering severe and permanent health issues. He said he had given the letter to then Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who was a holdover from the previous papacy of Benedict XVI.
In a rare interview, Pope Francis said he signed his resignation as early as 2013.
He said: “I have already signed my resignation. Tarcisio Bertone was Secretary of State.
“I signed it and I told him: ‘In case of an impediment for medical reasons or whatever, here is my resignation’.
“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.”
The Pope then revealed that it was the first time he had admitted in public that he had already signed his resignation letter.
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone received the letter during his final stint as the Vatican Secretary of State.
He left the role six months after Pope Francis was elected to the role of leader of the Catholic Church on March 13, 2013.
The Pope has often said that he would resign if health issues impaired him from running the Roman Catholic Church, to which 1.3 billion people subscribe.
He has also suggested that it should be a standard practice for the Pope to resign if health issues become significantly impairing.
READ MORE: Custodian of Crown Margareta meets Pope Francis in Vatican City visit [REPORT]