(ANSA) Rome, March 17 - Pope Francis will remain in office
"for another five years" and then will resign from St Peter's
throne, Monsignor Luigi Bettazzi, emeritus bishop of Ivrea,
predicted Tuesday.
Interviewed on Rai Radio2, Bettazzi, who predicted the
resignation of former pope Benedict XVI, was asked to explain
why Francis recently said without elaborating that his
pontificate would be a short one.
"I believe Francis thinks that if in a few years he longer
feels strong enough, as Benedict did, he would step aside to
make way for a pope with more energy," said Bettazzi.
Asked how long he expects Francis to remain in office, the
bishop said "for five more years".
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