Pope Francis' nominee at the 2005 conclave was Joseph RatzingerIt was Bergoglio himself, who had amassed enough votes to prevent a German election, who intervened to divert the votes himself, thwarting the ongoing maneuver to burn his name and pave the way for the papacy of Benedict XVI. The Argentine Pope himself tells this basic story in a chapter of a written interview soon to be released in Spain, “Pope Francisco. Al Khalifa“(Planeta Editions), created with the journalist Javier Martinez-BrocalAs the newspaper reported today ABC.

Secrets of the secret meeting

Jorge Mario Bergoglio is known to have been the second most voted voter at the start of the 2005 conclave, prior to the 2013 conclave that elected him, as are the circumstances in which the convergence of his votes over Joseph Ratzinger opened the election. But various journalistic and historical reconstructions in recent years have supported the idea that the cardinal played the key role in this process. Carlo Maria Martini. Which, who King makerAnd, almost in competition with his Argentine Jesuit brother, despite his reformist positions, he would persuade Bergoglio's electors to vote for the future Benedict Candidate (Someone whispered the name of the Cardinal in this regard Camillo Ruini). now Pope Francesco, not to mention the now deceased Martini (to whom he had shown harmony and respect over the years), recounts his version of this situation for the first time. And if what is happening in the Sistine Chapel is very secret because, as is known, under papal secrecy, Francis made a note: “The cardinals have sworn not to reveal what is happening in the conclave, but the popes have the license to tell it.”

40 votes out of 115

Therefore, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, then Archbishop of Buenos Aires, asserts that in 2005 he managed to collect 40 votes out of 115: “It was enough to slow down the candidacy of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger because if they had continued to vote for me, he would have done that.” He could not get the two-thirds needed to be elected pope.” Francis explains that the goal was not to elect him: “This was not the idea of ​​whoever was behind the votes. The gambit was to put my name forward, block Ratzinger’s election, and then negotiate a third, different candidate. They told me Much later, they said they did not want a “foreign” pope. Bergoglio continues: “They were using me, but behind that they were already thinking of proposing another cardinal. They did not agree on who it would be, but they were going to put the name forward.”

The maneuver failed

The “gambit,” as the Pope calls it, took shape between the second and third votes, on April 19: “When I realized this in the afternoon, I said to a Latin American cardinal, the Colombian: Dario Castrion“Don't joke with my candidacy, because I'll say now that I won't accept, right? 'Leave me here.'” And so Benedict was elected. “He was my candidate,” adds Jorge Mario Bergoglio. According to the current pope, in 2005, Joseph Ratzinger was “the only person who could be pope at that moment. After the revolution of John Paul II, who was a dynamic pontiff, very active, initiative, travelling… there was a need for a pope who would maintain A healthy balance, a transitional pope.” Francesco continues: “If they had elected someone like me, who made a lot of noise, he would not have been able to do anything. At that moment, it was not possible. I left happy. Benedict XVI was a man who accompanied the new style “And it wasn't easy, huh? He faced a lot of resistance inside the Vatican.” Because, according to what his successor said, “With the election of Joseph Ratzinger (the Holy Spirit) he was saying: I am in charge here. There is no room for manoeuvre.” In the book interviewPope Francisco. The sausageIn the next few days in Spain, Pope Francis is scheduled to deeply analyze his relationship with his predecessor.