Pope Benedict strongly defends pontificate of Pope Francis

Source: Vatican News Service

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has strongly defended Pope Francis against his critics, stressing that "there is an internal continuity between the two pontificates."

In a letter to Mgr Dario Eduardo Vigano, read yesterday during the launch of 'The Theology of Pope Francis' - a series of books by 11 authors and published by Libereria Editrice Vaticana, Pope Benedict writes: "I applaud this initiative that seeks to oppose and react to the foolish prejudice according to which Pope Francis would only be a practical man devoid of particular theological or philosophical formation, while I would have been only a theoretician of theology that understood little of the concrete life of a Christian today."

The Pope Emeritus wrote that he was grateful to have received the set of 11 books, edited by Robert Repole, President of the Italian Theological Association. These volumes, he said "reasonably demonstrate that Pope Francis is a man with profound philosophical and theological formation and are helpful to see the interior continuity between the two pontificates, even with all the differences in style and temperament."

During the launch, Br Giulio Cesareo OFM, head of the publishing house said contracts have been signed now for translations in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Polish and Romanian editions and plans are underway for translations in more languages.

Today is the fifth anniversary of the election of Pope Francis.