The Pope changes the funeral rite of the Pontiffs and the first funeral with the new rules will be his own . No "catafalque" on which to expose the body which will instead be in the coffin. The Pope will be watched over and buried "with dignity but like all Christians", says Francis in the book-interview, 'El Sucesor', with the Spanish ABC journalist Javier Martinez-Brocal. There will not be a double vigil but only one, and no public closing ceremony of the coffin. “The ritual was too overloaded,” comments Francesco .

And thinking of another funeral, that of Benedict XVI, the Pontiff attacks Ratzinger's former secretary, Msgr. Georg Gaenswein . «It caused me great pain that on the day of the funeral a book was published that upset me, telling things that aren't true, it's very sad. Naturally it doesn't affect me, in the sense that it doesn't affect me. But it hurt me that Benedetto was used. The book was published on the day of the funeral, and I experienced it as a lack of nobility and humanity ", he says, referring to the volume which bears Gaenswein's signature "Nothing but the truth".

"El Sucesor", the successor, is released today in Spanish by Editorial Planeta. Immediately after the summer it will also be published in Italian with Marsilio.
Francis remembers Benedetto: «For me he was a father». He defines him as "a great man", "a progressive", "someone who was not attached to power" and his resignation was a sign of "honesty". She remembers the last time she saw him, shortly before he died: «He looked at me and shook my hand», «I remember his clear eyes perfectly».

Bergoglio then talks about when some cardinals went to the Pope Emeritus to protest his words on civil unions between homosexuals. «They wanted to put me on trial», « he defended me ».

Ratzinger did not always agree with his decisions but "with his silence he always respected them".

At the beginning of the pontificate, in that greeting at Castel Gandolfo, Pope Francis and Benedict spoke about the issue of abuse. “I changed some of the people as he suggested” to do. Finally he reveals more intimate details, such as when he brought him souvenirs upon returning from his apostolic journeys. He also talks about the 2013 conclave, and the fact that Cardinal Angelo Scola, one of the most likely candidates, gave indications of voting for him.

Regarding the near future, the Pope states that he will not write an encyclical on peace or even a reform of the conclave, denying the rumors that have emerged regarding these two possible documents.

(Unioneonline/vl)

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