Pope Francis signed a letter of resignation in 2013 to be used in case he was forced from his duties as a result of bad health.
“I have already signed my resignation. Tarcisio Bertone was Secretary of State. I signed it and I told him: ‘In case of impediment for medical reasons or whatever, here is my resignation,’” the Pope said during a 2022 interview, according to a report at the time from the New York Post.
The resurfaced interview comes as Francis has been hospitalized for over a week and was reported to be in critical condition after suffering an asthmatic respiratory crisis on Saturday, according to a report from the Associated Press.
POPE FRANCIS HAD PEACEFUL NIGHT’S REST AT HOSPITAL FOLLOWING RESPIRATORY CRISIS, VATICAN SAYS
Pope Francis speaks during the weekly general audience at the Paul VI Hall on Feb. 12, 2025, in Vatican City. (Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
Francis also received blood transfusions after tests revealed he had a low platelet count, according to a Reuters report.
Francis, who turned 88 in December, has long faced questions about what he would do if health issues left him unable to carry out his duties. Such questions would have been unheard of prior to 2013, when Pope Benedict XVI resigned, becoming the first papal resignation in over 600 years.
Francis revealed during the 2022 interview that he gave his resignation letter to the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, a holdover from Benedict XVI, about six months after being elected to the papacy in March 2013.
Pope Francis delivers his homily during the weekly general audience at the Paul VI Hall on Feb. 12, 2025, in Vatican City. (Reuters/Ciro De Luca/File Photo)
POPE FRANCIS SHARES WRITTEN MESSAGE WHILE CONTINUING HOSPITALIZATION
“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,” Francis said at the time.Â
As Francis continued his hospitalization in Rome on Sunday, he shared a message thanking those who have kept him in their prayers during his health struggle.
“I have recently received many messages of affection, and I have been particularly struck by the letters and drawings from children,” Pope Francis posted on X Sunday. “Thank you for your closeness, and for the consoling prayers I have received from all over the world!”Â
Pope Francis greets people during the weekly general audience on Jan. 10, 2024, in Vatican City. (Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
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“I urge you to continue your apostolate with joy and to be a sign of a love that embraces everyone, as the #GospelOfTheDay suggests,” another post said. “May we transform evil into goodness and build a fraternal world. Do not be afraid to take risks for love!”