In a book published this week, Pope Emeritus Benedict emerges as an enigmatic and intriguing personality, steeped in tradition yet a very modern figure. In this extract, he reflects on the future of Christianity with warmth and confidence

Peter Seewald: Now, after the present time in office of Pope Francis – are you content?
Pope Emeritus Benedict: Yes. There is a new freshness in the Church, a new joyfulness, a new charisma which speaks to people, and that is certainly something beautiful.

Do you see yourself as the last pope of an old era or the first pope of a new era?
Between the times, I would say. I don’t belong to the old world any more, but the new world isn’t really here yet.

Is the election of Pope Francis perhaps the outward sign of a turning point between eras?
You always recognise the divisions of eras only later: that the medieval age begins here at such-and-such a date, or modernity there. You only see in retrospect how the forces of history are proceeding. In that sense I would not venture to say that now. But it is obvious that [with the election of Pope Francis] the Church is increasingly stepping out of the old European fabric of life, and is thus taking on a new character and a new form in her trajectory. Above all, we see how the de-Christianisation of Europe progresses, that in Europe things pertaining to Christianity are increasingly disappearing from the character of public life. So the Church must find a new kind of presence, must change her way of being present. There are seismic periodic changes in process.