"God told me to do it," the 86-year-old former pontiff told a friend, six months after his decision to step down shocked the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.
God had implanted in his heart the "absolute desire" to resign and to devote himself to a life of prayer and reflection, Benedict told the anonymous confidante, according to Zenit, a Rome-based Catholic news agency.
"It was not because of any type of apparition or phenomenon of that sort," he said, but instead the result of a "mystical experience" received during "a direct rapport with the Lord".
He said the more he sees the "charisma" of Pope Francis, his successor, the more he is convinced that it was "the will of God" that he became the first pontiff in 600 years to resign. » | Nick Squires, Rome | Wednesday, August 21, 2013
