Pope Francis (right) meets with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in the Vatican on Monday, during the lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 infection, in a photo provided by the Vatican. Photo: AFP

 Pope Francis revealed in a new interview published on Sunday that after he was elected in 2013 he signed a letter of resignation to be used if someday severe and permanent health problems made it impossible to carry out his duties.

Francis, who turned 86 on Saturday and appears to be in good health except for a knee ailment, made the comment in an interview with the Spanish newspaper ABC.

Francis said he gave the letter to then Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, a holdover from the previous papacy of Benedict XVI.

Francis was asked if he believed an official norm should be established for cases when health problems or an accident impeded a pope.

"I have already signed my resignation. Tarcisio Bertone was Secretary of State. I signed it and I told him: 'In case of impediment for medical reasons or whatever, here is my resignation,'" Francis was quoted as saying.

In an interview with Reuters in July, Francis dismissed speculative reports his resignation was imminent and repeated his often stated position that he might resign someday if failing health made it impossible for him to run the Church - something that had been almost unthinkable before Benedict XVI, now 95, resigned in 2013. It was the first papal resignation in six centuries.

He was to have made that trip in July 2021 but his knee problem forced its postponement. He now uses a cane for short walks and a wheelchair for longer indoor distances.

Reuters