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Benedict XVI
in March 2012 in Mexico
Photo: OSSERVATORE ROMANO / AP
Benedict XVI
According to a media report, he had to take strong sleeping pills during his tenure.
Accordingly, he had suffered from insomnia at the time.
The Pope Emeritus died on New Year's Eve.
An incident during his apostolic journey to Mexico and Cuba in 2012 led to Benedict resigning a year later, wrote Focus.
The magazine refers to a letter that Benedikt wrote to his biographer Peter Seewald a few weeks before his death on October 28, 2022.
Insomnia since World Youth Day in Cologne 2005
The letter states literally that the "central motive" for the resignation "was the insomnia that has accompanied me uninterruptedly since World Youth Day in Cologne".
World Youth Day in Cologne took place in August 2005.
The "strong remedies" that his personal physician at the time had prescribed without hesitation also worked initially and guaranteed his "availability" as Pope.
According to "Focus", Benedikt wrote to Seewald that the drugs had soon "reached their limits" and were "less and less able to ensure" its availability.
After all, a serious incident occurred during his apostolic journey to Mexico and Cuba in March 2012.
The morning after the first night he grabbed his handkerchief.
This was "totally soaked with blood".
“I must have bumped into something in the bathroom and fell,” the “Focus” quoted from the letter.
A surgeon knew how to treat the matter "thank God" in such a way that the injuries were not visible.
After this accident, his new personal physician pushed for a "reduction in sleeping pills" and insisted that Benedict should only appear in public on future trips abroad in the mornings.
Benedict went on to say that it was clear to him that these medically justified restrictions "could only apply for a short time".
He knew that he would not be able to embark on his next big trip abroad: to Rio de Janeiro for World Youth Day.
That is why he planned his resignation so early that the new pope would be able to travel there.
According to "Focus", Benedikt emphasized in the letter to Seewald that in retrospect, after "sober and thoughtful consideration", he would come to this decision again.
At that time he was no longer able to adequately exercise the office of the representative of Jesus Christ.
It had been known for a long time that Benedict explained his historic step of resignation with health reasons and justified the timing with the upcoming World Youth Day.
So far, however, there have been no reports of the German Pope having severe sleep problems during the pontificate.
kha/AFP