Former Pope Benedict XVI apparently regrets his cooperation with a controversial book that will be released on Wednesday. He wants the publisher to remove his name as a co-writer, his personal secretary announced on Tuesday.
The book states that celibacy is sacred within the church and should not be affected. The reason for this statement is that the current Pope Francis said last year that married men should also be able to become priests in remote areas where there is a shortage of priests.
“I can’t keep quiet about this,” Benedict said in the book.
Roman Catholic scientists have questioned the statement that could affect the position of Francis. At the same time there are concerns about the mental and physical condition of Benedict, which is greatly weakened.
According to Archbishop Georg Ganswein, Benedict asked Cardinal Robert Sarah, the most important writer of the book, to remove his name from the cover, from the introduction and the summary.