VATICAN CITY
Daily Mail (UK)
[Ratzinger: la mia rinuncia è valida, assurdo fare speculazioni – La Stampa]
Retired Pope Benedict denies speculation that he was FORCED to publicly stand down and is secretly active as a ‘shadow’ pope
By CHRIS PLEASANCE
In a letter to La Stampa newspaper Benedict called speculation he had been forced from his post ‘absurd’ ahead of the first anniversary of the resignation on Friday.
The Pope Emeritus has also fended off allegations that he is still active within the church, leading a faction of the Curia who are unhappy with Pope Francis’s sweeping new reforms.
Benedict announced his decision to resign on Feb. 11, 2013 and formally stepped down on Feb. 28, becoming the first pope in 600 years to do so.
Two weeks later, Francis was elected the first non-European pope in 1,300 years.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.