Pope Benedict XVI leaves the Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona, Spain. The Pope consecrated La Sagrada Familia, the Barcelona landmark designed by Antoni Gaudi, whose construction began in 1882 and continues today.
VATICAN CITY, Italy - Pope Benedict says in a new book that he would not hesitate to become the first pontiff to resign willingly in more than 700 years if he felt himself no longer able, "physically, psychologically and spiritually", to lead the church.With startling candour, the 83-year-old Benedict floats the possibility of something Catholic Church officials do not like to talk about because it could open a doctrinal can of worms.
The book, called Light of the World: The Pope, the Church, and the Sign of the Times, has so far made headlines for the pope's cautious opening to the use of condoms to stop Aids.- But the book, an interview with German Catholic journalist Peter Seewald, also contains many personal reflections on Benedict's health, his daily routine and his future.
- "Yes, if a pope clearly realises that he is no longer physically, psychologically and spiritually capable of handling the duties of his office, then he has a right and, under some circumstances, also an obligation, to resign," he says.
The last pope to resign willingly was Celestine V in 1294 after reigning for only five months. Gregory XII reluctantly abdicated in 1415 to end a dispute with a rival claimant to the Holy See.Earlier this year, when the Vatican was swept up by a new wave of sexual abuse scandals, there were calls for Benedict to step down, but he says in the book that he would not "run away" in a time of crisis.
- "One can resign at a peaceful moment or when one simply cannot go on," he says.
- Benedict seems to be in relatively good health but confesses in the book that he feels his forces diminishing.
- "Of course, I am sometimes concerned and I wonder whether I can make it even from a purely physical point of view," he says of the demand on his strength during trips.
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