Rome - Retired pope Benedict XVI, who is due to turn 91 in
April, told an Italian paper on Wednesday that he is preparing for
death.
"I was moved by the fact that so many readers of your paper want to
know how I am spending this last period of my life," Benedict told
Corriere della Sera.
"The only thing I can say about this is that, as my physical strength
slowly fades, I am on an interior pilgrimage towards home," the
former pontiff said.
"For me it is a great grace to be surrounded, in this last stretch
that is sometimes a bit strenuous, by so much love and goodness that
I could have never imagined," he added.
Benedict, born Joseph Ratzinger in Germany, retired in February 2013,
citing the strains of old age, while his papacy was struggling with
cronyism and corruption allegations in the Vatican bureaucracy.
He was to first pope to retire in almost 600 years. He has since been
living in a monastery inside Vatican grounds, and his successor Pope
Francis often pays tribute to him.