Pope Paul VI to Archbishop Lefebvre, "Take my place and lead the Church!"

Paul VI to Lefebvre: "Then you run the Church!"

Surprising details from the tenure of Pope Paul VI (1963-78) are offered in a new book by a high-ranking Vatican prelate. In the book, "La barca di Paolo", published on Wednesday, Leonardo Sapienza reveals, among other things, that Montini as Pope wrote a letter of resignation in the event of his incapacity just a few years after being elected pope.

The letter had been kept in Paul's desk; many Cardinals had known of its existence. Pope Francis, who will canonise his predecessor Paul VI in October, said in a greeting to the book that this letter of resignation was also evidence of Paul's holiness.

Above all, however, Sapienza provides details of a conversation between Paul VI and Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre; he received the founder of the schismatically oriented Pius Brotherhood in Castel Gandolfo in September 1976. During the half-hour meeting, which took place in a very tense atmosphere, the Pope had said to Lefebvre: "You classify the Pope as unfaithful to the faith - then take my place and lead the Church!"

"You take the attitude of an anti-Pope"

The Pope had agreed with Lefebvre, whom he had suspended from office shortly before, that there were "abuses" in the implementation of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. But he had reproached Lefebvre: "You are taking the attitude of an anti-Pope." And he had asked him if he was aware of "what a scandal and how much evil you are doing to the Church".

Lefebvre had admitted that his writings and statements were possibly "inappropriate", but stressed that he could not act against his conscience. Several Council documents could not be reconciled with the tradition of the Church. "Everything would be solved" if the Pope called on the Bishops to allow chapels in their dioceses where the faithful could pray "as they did before the Council". This, he said, the Pope rejected: "We are a community, we cannot allow some to behave autonomously."

After the audience, Pope Paul began fasting 

Both interlocutors had agreed that the Church was in crisis, Sapienza continued in his account. Pope Paul VI had stressed that he was "very persistent" in fighting against "abuses" and "excesses", but that the Council had "led by the signs of the times". This could be seen, among other things, in a "spiritual awakening among young people".

After the audience, which ended without reconciliation, the Pope, according to his second secretary John Magee, went on a fast of several days. In doing so, he wanted to "make amends" for the damage done by Lefebvre.

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