Benedict called the conservative Catholics "fanatics".

Some hardline conservatives Catholics are unhappy with Pope Francis and have often voiced doubts about whether Benedict stepped down willingly.

"Some of my more fanatical friends are still upset, they have not accepted my choice," he told Italian daily Corriere della Sera in an interview, at the Vatican's Mater Ecclesiae.

"There aren't two popes, the pope is the only one," Benedict emphasised.

The spectacle of having two living popes, one "emeritus" has led to constant rumors about Benedict's relationship with his successor.

Chiding the fanatical supporters Benedict said those who believe there are two popes are opposed to Church teaching.

Benedict said those nursing conspiracy theories are failing to respect his conscience.

"It was a difficult decision. (To resign.) But it was a fully conscious choice and I think I did well."

"They don't want to believe that it was a conscious choice."

"My conscience is clear," he said.

Benedict also took the opportunity to address the election of US President, Joe Biden.

Biden "is an observing Catholic and he is personally against abortion," Benedict said, referring to a point of contention that has arisen among the American bishops since Biden's election.

"But as president, he tends to present himself in continuity with the line of the Democratic Party....and on gender policy, we still don't really understand what his position is," said Benedict.

The presence in the Vatican of both a pope and a former pontiff - with the title "pope emeritus", both wearing white - has irritated some Catholics.

Leading church figures, including papal loyalist, Cardinal George Pell have called for new rules stipulating the status and dress of retired popes.

In 2013 Benedict for the first time in about 600 years, Benedict became the first pope to resign instead of dying in office.

The interview was published on March 1 to coincide with his resignation.

Sources

• The Guardian
• RNS

Their action was reported by the Russian news agency Interfax, which also carried a Russian Orthodox statement that it "vividly indicates Russia's high authority in the Middle East, especially among the Christian minorities living there".

"It is for the first time since the Nativity of Christ that we Christians of Qalamoun living in the villages of Saidnaya, Maara Saidnaya, Maaloula and Maaroun are under threat of banishment from our land," said a letter from the residents to the Russian leadership and the Russian Orthodox Church.

"We prefer death to exile and life in refugee camps, and so we will defend our land, honour and faith, and will not leave the land on which Christ walked.

"The Christians of Qalamoun believe that the purpose of the Western-backed terrorists is to eliminate our presence in what is our native land, and with some of the most revolting methods as well, including savage murders of ordinary people," they added.

"We see the Russian Federation as a powerful factor of global peace and stability. Russia pursues a firm line in the defense of Syria, its people and its territorial integrity."

The letter adds: "None of the about 50,000 people — physicians, engineers, lawyers, entrepreneurs — who are willing to sign this application want to leave their homes. We possess all that we need, we are not asking for money."

Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, an official of the Moscow Patriarchate of the Orthodox Church, said the granting of citizenship was "hardly possible from a judicial standpoint".

He said he believed the residents' action was guided by the intention to stress that "the Christians of the East have known for centuries that no other country would take care of their interests better than Russia".

Meanwhile, the leader of the Melkite Catholic Church, Patriarch Gregorios III Laham, has said more than 450,000 Christians have fled during Syria's civil war, out of a total Christian population of about 1.75 million.

Sources:

Interfax

Interfax

BBC

Image: Beliefnet

There was a time when religion seemed to have the corner on dogmatism and excessive zeal. Now it appears to be sharing a corner with a growing number of shrill over zealous atheists.

"Because religion is articulated and administered by human beings, it often falls short of its stated ideals — just like atheism," writes Dow Marmur.

"Though atheists are keen to parade the abuses committed by some religious leaders and attack distortions attributed to others, they don't seem to apply the same criticism to themselves but tend to hide behind what they call reason and science."

Read Dow Mamur's column

Dow Marmur is rabbi emeritus at Toronto's Holy Blossom Temple. His column appears every other week in the Toronto Star

Image: Mississauga.com