VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Former Pope Benedict has accused conservative Roman Catholics of not accepting his decision to resign as “fanatical”, saying there is only one pope and that it is Francis.
Benedict, now 93, in 2013 became the first pope in more than 600 years to resign instead of ruling for life, saying he no longer has the power to govern the 1.3 billion church.
Some hardline conservatives dissatisfied with the more liberal Pope Francis have often expressed doubts as to whether Benedict resigned willingly, even though he has said several times in the past eight years that he has done so.
“It was a difficult decision. But it was a fully conscious choice and I think I did well (to resign), ‘he told Italian Corriere della Sera in an interview published Monday.
“Some of my more fanatical friends are still upset because they did not accept my choice.”
Benedict, who lives in a house in the Vatican Gardens, said those who refused to accept his resignation had “conspiracy theories” that he was forced to quit due to scandals such as the leaking of some of his documents by his donor. .
“They do not want to believe it was a conscious choice,” he said. “My conscience is clear.”
Benedict apparently addressed those who still look up to him as the true pope and hostile to Francis: “There is only one pope.”
The interviewer said that Benedict emphasized the point by bumping the armrest of his chair.
The presence in the Vatican of both a pope and a former pope with the title ‘pope emeritus’, also wearing white, irritated some Catholics.
Leading church figures have called for new rules stipulating that resigning popes resume the lower office of cardinal, do not wear white and do not make statements about the doctrine.
Reporting By Philip Pullella; Edited by Kevin Liffey