by Fausto Gasparroni
Pope Francis leaves open the possibility of becoming an "emeritus" Pontiff, therefore of resigning from office.
And he also says he is not afraid of death and imagines it in Rome: in any case he will not return to Argentina.
This is what Bergoglio says in an early interview by the Argentine newspaper La Nación.
This is - explains the website of the Holy See, Vatican News - of an interview that took place two years ago, on February 16, 2019, with the Argentine journalist and doctor Nelson Castro for his book on the health of the Popes, "La salud de los Papas" , which is already causing a lot of discussion at home.
Francis says he feels good and full of energy, "thank God".
He remembers the "difficult moment", in 1957, at the age of 21, when he underwent the removal of the upper lobe of his right lung due to three cysts.
"When I recovered from the anesthesia, the pain I felt was very intense."
"It's not that I wasn't worried, but I always had the belief that I would be healed."
He points out that the recovery was complete: "I have never felt any limitations in my activities."
Even on various international trips - he observes - "I never had to limit or cancel" any of the planned activities: "I never felt fatigue or shortness of breath (dyspnea).
As the doctors explained to me, the right lung expanded and it covered the whole ipsilateral hemithorax ".
The interviewer asks the Pope if he has ever been psychoanalysed: "I tell you how things went. I never psychoanalysed myself. When I was provincial of the Jesuits, during the terrible days of the dictatorship, in which I had to take people underground. to get them out of the country and save their lives, I had to deal with situations I didn't know how to deal with. I went to find a lady - a great woman - who had helped me read some psychological tests for novices. So, for six months , I consulted her once a week ".
She was a psychiatrist: "During those six months, she helped me orient myself on how to deal with the fears of that time. Imagine what it was like to carry a person hidden in the car - only by a blanket - and pass three military checkpoints in the area. of Campo de Mayo. The tension it generated in me was enormous. "
Francesco points out that the interview with the psychiatrist also helped him learn how to manage anxiety and avoid making hasty decisions.
He speaks of the importance of the study of psychology for a priest: "I am convinced that every priest must know human psychology".
Then he dwells on the neuroses: "We must prepare the mate for the neuroses. Not only that, we must also caress them. They are companions of the person throughout his life".
Francesco, as he had already said once, remembers reading a book that interested him very much and made him laugh heartily: "Rejoice in Being Neurotic" (Rejoice to be neurotic) by the American psychiatrist Louis E. Bisch: "It's very important to be able to know where the bones creak. Where they are and what our spiritual ills are. Over time, one learns about one's neuroses. "
The Pope speaks of the anxiety of wanting to do everything immediately.
He quotes the famous proverb attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte: "Dress me slowly, I'm in a hurry".
Talk about the need to slow down.
And one of his methods is to listen to Bach: "It calms me and helps me to analyze problems better."
At the end of the interview, the journalist asks the Pope if he is thinking of death: "Yes", Francis replies.
If he is afraid: "No, not at all".
And as he imagines his death: "As Pope, in office or emeritus. He is in Rome. I will not return to Argentina".
(HANDLE).
