Some details of a new interview with Pope Francis, via America:
Pope Francis expects to die “as pope, either in office or emeritus. And in Rome. I will not go back to Argentina.” He revealed this in an interview with renowned Argentinian journalist and doctor, Nelson Castro, for a new book on the health of the recent popes from Leo XIII to Francis that will be published in Buenos Aires on March 1.
When Dr. Castro asked him if he thinks about death, Pope Francis said “Yes.” Asked if he fears death, he responded, “Absolutely not.” Answering other questions, he said he expects to die “in Rome, as pope or emeritus.” He also made clear he would be buried in the eternal city and not, as some have suggested, return to be buried in Buenos Aires, where he spent most of his life.
An excerpt from that interview was published today, Feb. 27, in La Nacion, the Argentine daily that the pope used to read when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires. In the excerpt from an interview in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, on Feb. 16, 2019, Francis speaks about the surgical removal of cysts from the top lobe of his right lung in October 1957 when he was 21 years old. Significantly, however, Francis again confirms that he made “a complete recovery” from that operation, “and never felt any limitation since then.”
In the excerpt published in La Nacion today, the pope states that he “never” underwent psychoanalysis as some have reported. He confirms, however, that he visited “a great woman psychologist,” once a week for six months, during the period when he was taking great risks in assisting people to escape during the military dictatorship in Argentina, and she helped him deal with the tensions and fears that he experienced at that time.
He admits in the interview that sometimes he suffers from “neurotic anxiety,” but states that he has largely learned to overcome such anxiety by listening to Bach or sipping “mate,” a popular Argentinean herbal drink.
