Pope Francis at an event in the Paul VI hall of the Vatican on January 11
“I am well,” Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic church said in his autobiography Hope published in more than 100 countries on January 14. “Simply put, the reality is that I am old,” he said.
The Pope now regularly uses a wheelchair to move around because of back and knee pain, according to AFP. But according to him, “the church is driven by the head and heart, not the feet.”
Since leading the church of 1.4 billion parishioners since 2013, the pope from Argentina has had an extremely busy schedule. Recently, specifically in the past 2 years, he has had several colds or health problems.
The Pope also underwent two surgeries, first in 2021 to remove part of his colon, and then in 2023 to treat an abdominal hernia.
“Every time a pope falls ill, the direction of the wind in the Conclave of Cardinals rises,” the pope mentioned in his autobiography. The conclave of cardinals is a secret meeting to elect a new pope.
“In fact, even during the days of surgery, I never thought about resigning,” the Pope affirmed.
Hope is the pope’s second book in two years, following the memoir published in March 2024.
Publishing house Mondadori revealed that the pope initially planned to only print books Hope after he left this world. However, the Pope later decided to print it in the Holy Year 2025, which takes place every 25 years. Coincidence is also the main theme of the Jubilee Hope.
Throughout the 303 pages of the book, he recalls his time growing up in Buenos Aires (Argentina), when he was a bishop in that country and some of the decisions he made as leader of the universal church.
For example, Pope Francis strongly defended his decision in 2024 to allow priests to bless same-sex unions.
“Homosexuality is not a crime, it is a human reality,” he said.
