Pope exposes confidential details of past conclaves and settles scores with Pope Benedict XVI's aide

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Pope exposes confidential details of past conclaves and settles scores with Pope Benedict XVI’s aide

BY NICOLE WINFIELD
Updated 8:42 AM EDT, April 2, 2024

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has exposed the political “maneuvers” used to sway votes during the two most recent elections of popes, while denying he is planning to reform the process for future conclaves, in a book-length interview published Tuesday.

The confidential revelations are contained in “The Successor: My Memories of Benedict XVI,” in which the Argentine pope reflects on his relationship with the late German pope and settles some scores with Benedict’s longtime aide.

The book, written as a conversation with the correspondent for Spain’s ABC daily, Javier Martínez-Brocal, comes at a delicate time for the 87-year-old Francis. His frail health has raised questions about how much longer he will remain pope, whether he might follow in Benedict’s footsteps and resign, and who might eventually replace him.

In the book, Francis revealed previously confidential details about the 2005 conclave that elected Benedict pope and the 2013 ballot in which he himself was elected, saying he was allowed to deviate from the cardinals’ oath of secrecy because he is pope.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/pope-conclave-benedict-gaenswein-2d67127e9e336a7cefd4c6ebda2f3bf6

[dutch777]

1. Francis is a breath of fresh air in an institution that needs to make amends to be relevent in the 21st Century

The list of horrors in the name of, or at the hands of, the Catholic Church are increasingly shocking.

[Raven123]

2. Sad that Pope Francis has to speak so publicly.

His faith and integrity have been attacked mercilessly. Trying to pull the Church into the 21st century is an incredibly thankless effort

[lapucelle]

3. Francis embraced liberation theology early on and has been a transformative figure.

In addition, he totally remade the College of Cardinals which will elect his successor. (This is gerrymandering that I approve of.)

I sometimes volunteer with Network (i.e. Nuns On The Bus), and they have a Pope Francis Voter initiative:

Who are Pope Francis Voters?

Catholic voters are called to defend, promote, and protect the sacredness of human life. We cannot be single issue voters. Instead, we must be Pope Francis Voters. The sacred issues the Pope asks us to bring into the voting booth include protecting people in poverty, the elderly, and migrants and rejecting racism.

https://networklobby.org/popefrancisvoters/