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Benedict XVI denies alleged forced resignation to the charge of Pope
Posted On 26 Feb 2014
The Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, qualified as “absurd” a new media speculation that he was forced to resign.
Through a letter to the Italian website The Vatican Insider posted last Wednesday, Benedict XVI said: “There is absolutely no doubt about the validity of my resignation to the Petrine Ministry”.
The Church law says that the resignation of a pope is valid only if the decision is made freely and without pressure from others.
In response to a request from the web page to speak about the recent reports of the Italian media, he wrote: “The only condition for the validity of my resignation is the complete freedom of my decision. Speculation about its validity is simply absurd.”
Benedict XVI resigned on February 11th, 2013 and formally walked away on February 28th, becoming the first pope in 600 years to do it.
