The former Pope Benedict has asked for his name to be removed from a controversial new book which some have interpreted as an attempt from Benedict to undermine Pope Francis on the issue of celibacy. Benedict was listed as a co-author of From the Depths of Our Hearts, which argues in favor of the ancient tradition of celibacy within the church. But the planned release of the book this week comes as Francis considers whether to ease the church’s ban on married men serving as priests in some cases. A row over the publication of the book gripped the Vatican for days, and Benedict has now decided to distance himself from it. “I can confirm that this morning I acted on instructions from the emeritus pope and I asked Cardinal Robert Sarah to contact the book’s publishers and request them to remove Benedict XVI’s name as co-author of the book,” the retired pope’s personal secretary said Tuesday. Francis’ supporters claimed Benedict, 92, had been misled by members of his entourage into making an attack on the current Pope.
