Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, the man who served as the secretary to Pope John Paul II, claims the late pontiff seriously considered resigning in 2000 due to poor health. Cardinal Dziwisz served as a secretary to Pope John Paul for 40 years.
Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz makes the comments in a new book, "In A Life With Karol," which will be published January 29 initially in Italian and Polish, adding at in 2000 Pope John Paul II had called a meeting to discuss his resignation.
At that meeting, according to Cardinal Dziwisz, Pope John Paul II asked "if even the pope should resign from the post at the age of 80," the age at which cardinals are no longer eligible to elect a new pope. At the time of the meeting, Pope John Paul II was 79, but he had already been suffering from the degenerative effects of Parkinson's for several years.
At the end of the meeting, "he came to the conclusion that he had to submit himself to God's will, that is, to remain as long as God wanted," Cardinal Dziwisz said.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger now Pope Benedict XVI was also present at that meeting, according to Dziwisz.
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