The pontiff makes the revelation in his autobiography, Hope, which was published yesterday. Following Benedict XVI's departure due to ill health in February 2013, Francis was elected pope, placing the Argentinean in the almost unprecedented position of having an in-person handover.
Francis said that he visited Benedict at Castel Gandolfo, the papal vacation palace south of Rome, shortly after his election in March 2013. “He gave me a large white box,” Francis writes. “‘Everything is in here,’ he told me. ‘Documents relating to the most difficult and painful situations. Cases of abuse, corruption, dark dealings, wrongdoings.’”
Benedict then told him: “I have arrived this far, taken these actions, removed these people. Now it’s your turn.” Pope Francis then writes: “I have continued along his path.” The Pope does not, however, reveal the contents of the box.
The church’s sexual abuse scandals marred the papacy of the highly conservative Benedict, who died in December 2022. The last year of his tenure was also tarnished by the “Vatileaks” scandal, which exposed allegations of corruption, conflict and financial mismanagement.
This story is from the January 15, 2025 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the January 15, 2025 edition of The Independent.
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