Pope Benedict, who resigned almost one year ago, broke his silence for the first time since he stepped down from the highest position in the Catholic Church, branded new media speculation absurd that he had been forced out.
Church law states that the resignation of a pope is only valid if he makes the decision with full freedom and no pressure from anyone else.
Benedict, who is 86, said there is no doubt about the validity of his resignation from the Petrine ministry. He now holds the title of pope emeritus.
He stated that the only condition over the validity of his resignation was the complete freedom he had over the decision. Speculation with regard to the validity of his resignation he said was absurd.
On February 11 of 2013, Benedict made the announcement he was resigning, becoming the first pope to resign in 600 years. Two weeks after his announcement, Francis won the election amongst the Cardinals to become the first pope in over 1,300 who was non-European.
Benedict at that time said he was stepping down due to not being able to carry out his duties due to not having the spiritual or physical strength and that he was making the decision with complete freedom.
In early February, on the day following the one-year anniversary of his resignation, a newspaper in Italy ran an article that revived the speculation that he had been forced into resigning due to scandals that took place within the Vatican.
During 2012, the butler for Benedict was arrested due to leaking documents of a sensitive nature alleging corruption amongst Vatican prelates and irregularities in the finances of the Vatican.
At that time, Italian media reported a group of prelates who had wanted Benedict discredited and pressure him into resigning were the ones behind those leaks. That has been always denied by the Vatican.
The newspaper also made a suggestion that Benedict has chosen to continue wearing white because of feeling like he was still the pope.
Benedict now lives in almost complete isolation in a former convent on the grounds of the Vatican. When asked about this he said he continues to wear his white cassock and keep Benedict for his name for just practical reasons.
When he resigned, he said no other clothes had been available and he wears his cassock differently than Pope Francis does. He called it another case of unfounded speculation.
Deborah Campbell
