Pope Francis has said that 'in case of medical impediment' he has already signed his resignation and given it to one of the Vatican cardinals. During an interview given to the Spanish newspaper ABC, the Holy Father responded to the question of what would happen "if a pontiff is suddenly disabled due to health problems or an accident." "I have already signed my resignation," Pope Francis replied, adding that he did so when the Vatican Secretary of State was Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. "I signed it and told him: 'In case of impediment for medical reasons or whatever it may be, here is my resignation.' They already have it. I don't know who Cardinal Bertone gave it to, but I gave it to him when he was Secretary of State," he said. Andreas Thonhauser, EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief, joins us with more details from Rome. Plus, he shares how the Holy Father celebrated his 86th birthday at the Vatican.
Andreas Thonhauser is EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief. He earned a Master of Business Administration from the WU Executive Academy in Vienna and a Master’s degree in German Philology/Anglistics and Americanistics from the University of Vienna. Prior to joining EWTN, Thonhauser worked as the Director of External Affairs for a global human rights organization, and for several media outlets in Vienna, Austria.
