Those who have seen Benedict XVI after leaving the Vatican claim that the former pontiff looks refreshed and rested, leaving politics in the past and fully devoting himself to prayers and playing the piano. The Vatican authorities say that Benedict does not even think of returning to the world stage.
Before permanently relinquishing the title of head of the Holy See, the former Pope declared that he was going to lead a modest and even reclusive lifestyle. Since he addressed all believers with his farewell speech, Benedict only got into the lenses of journalists' cameras twice: when he went to the papal residence of Castel Gandolfo and when he visited his brother Georg in one of the Roman hospitals .
A year after his voluntary departure from the throne of the Holy See, the former pontiff Benedict only once truly recalled himself.
He wrote a letter to an Italian with atheistic views, Piergiorgio Odifreddi, in response to his publication criticizing the Catholic Church.
“I live like a monk,” the former head of the Catholic Church told reporters about his being. “I pray and read. And I feel good. ”
Approximates of Benedict XVI claim that in ordinary worldly life the pontiff likes to listen to music and play the piano, and German cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller told the media that the 86-year-old Pope is seriously thinking about writing an autobiography.
The former head of the Holy See is not alone. Most of the time, his 90-year-old brother visits, and sometimes his friends visit Benedict. The former Pope and the current representative of the Catholic Church have developed very pleasant and friendly relations, despite the fact that Benedict admits that he does not always approve of the actions of his follower. The former Argentinean cardinal occasionally mentions the name of the former pontiff in his speeches, and sometimes calls him on the phone.
Several times Francis met with his predecessor at breakfast. “It's like a trip to grandfather,” Pope Francis admitted to reporters after meeting with Benedict. “Sometimes I feel the need to ask him for advice.”
However, the new head of the Holy See never mentioned the name of the previous Pope when speaking about the scandals into which the latter was drawn. We are talking about the recently surfaced issue of pedophilia and child abuse, which are accused of the clergy of the church.
Only a year later it became known that the former pontiff freed from the rank of more than 400 priests, bishops and even cardinals, who were somehow accused of pedophilia.
The Vatican press service says Pope Francis has brought “new ideas and perspectives” to reform the church with his arrival. So, for example, he stands for its maximum openness and selflessness. The pontiff himself set an excellent example more than once. He refused the benefits intended for him by status, washed the feet of Muslim women, and also insisted that gays should not be blamed for their non-traditional orientation.
