Late Pope asked for 'pardon' in his will

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. thanked him in his will, but also asked for forgiveness. In his spiritual testament, which the Vatican published on Saturday evening, he thanked God for giving him life and leading him through all sorts of tribulations. "Pray for me that the Lord will let me into the eternal mansions in spite of all my sins and shortcomings," asked Pope Francis' predecessor.

Benedict also spoke of "dark and arduous stretches" of his path, on which the Lord had guided him well. "I sincerely apologize to anyone I have wronged in any way," he wrote.

The emeritus pontiff particularly emphasized his "beautiful homeland in the Bavarian foothills of the Alps". "I pray that our country remains a country of faith and I ask you, dear compatriots: do not let yourself be dissuaded from the faith," explained Benedict. To his companions he addressed the demand: “Stand firm in your faith! Don't get confused!"

Born in Bavaria, he also referred to his theological work. It has often seemed as if science had produced irrefutable insights that were contrary to the Catholic faith. According to his own statement, however, with the changing generations he saw the collapse of seemingly unshakable theses that had turned out to be mere hypotheses. He cited the liberal, existentialist and Marxist generations as examples.

The text is dated August 29, 2006, when Benedict was already Pope. The emeritus head of the Catholics died on Saturday morning at 9:34 a.m. at the age of 95 in the Mater Ecclesiae monastery in the Vatican Gardens. His private secretary Georg Gänswein informed Pope Francis immediately afterwards, as reported by the Argentine newspaper "La Nación", citing informed sources.