Former Pope Benedict, 90, says he is in the last phase of his life and on a 'pilgrimage towards home'

  • Former Pope wrote a letter published today nearly five years after he stood down
  • He said that there was 'a slow withering of his physical forces'
  • Pope Benedict was the first pontiff to quit the Vatican early for 600 years 
  • German-born Pope, who served in Hitler Youth, retired on health grounds

By ALASTAIR TANCRED FOR MAILONLINE and REUTERS

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Former Pope Benedict has said he is in the last phase of life and on a 'pilgrimage towards home' in a letter published on Wednesday in an Italian newspaper.

Benedict, who in February 2013 became the first pope in six centuries to resign, wrote a letter to the Corriere della Sera newspaper (in Italian) thanking readers for their best wishes as he approaches the fifth anniversary of stepping down.

'I am moved that so many readers want to know how I spend my days in this, the last period of the life,' he wrote.

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Pope Benedict XVI held  his last general audience in St Peter's Square at the Vatican on 27 February 2013

Pope Benedict XVI held  his last general audience in St Peter's Square at the Vatican on 27 February 2013

Benedict (pictured, left) was the first Pope since 1415 to abdicate while head of the Vatican. He said he was initially unsure about Pope Francis (right) - when he was chosen to replace him

Benedict (pictured, left) was the first Pope since 1415 to abdicate while head of the Vatican. He said he was initially unsure about Pope Francis (right) - when he was chosen to replace him

Pilgrims hold a banner in St Peter's Square in February 2013 to express their disappointment at Pope Benedict's departure

Pilgrims hold a banner in St Peter's Square in February 2013 to express their disappointment at Pope Benedict's departure

'I can only say that with the slow withering of my physical forces, interiorly, I am on a pilgrimage towards home.'

Since his resignation, Benedict, 90, has been living in a former convent in the Vatican gardens. 

The conservative German's seven-year papacy was marked by mismanagement and financial scandals.

He has made only a handful of public appearances, mostly at major Church events but has received friends.

Those close to him say he is still sharp mentally but has mobility problems and needs a walker to get around. 

In July 2016 he revealed a 'gay lobby' in the Vatican tried to influence decisions during his papacy - but that no-one pressured him to resign.

His memoirs, called  'Last Testament'  was published in November 2016 and were the first time in history that a former Pope judged his own pontificate after it had finished.

The conservative German's seven-year papacy was characterized by mismanagement and financial scandals

The conservative German's seven-year papacy was characterized by mismanagement and financial scandals

Benedict resigned following a turbulent papacy that included the so-call 'Vatileaks' case, in which his butler leaked some of his personal letters and other documents that alleged corruption and a power struggle in the Vatican.

Italian media at the time reported that a faction of prelates who wanted to discredit Benedict and pressure him to resign was behind the leaks.

In December 2016 he said that he was not entirely happy when he heard that Francis was to be his successor, but was reassured after he 'saw how he spoke with God'.  

 

Pope Benedict XVI

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