Pope Francis believes that his predecessor Benedict XVI was instrumentalised after his resignation.
Over the years, the pope emeritus has been "instrumentalised by unscrupulous people for ideological and political purposes", writes Francis in his autobiography, which will be published next week.
The Italian daily newspaper"Corriere della Sera" already published extracts on Thursday.
These people did not accept the resignation of the German Pope and only thought of their own advantage, Francis continues.
They had underestimated the "dramatic possibility" of a rupture within the Church.
He had visited Benedict at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo soon after taking office, according to Francis.
The emeritus had travelled there after his resignation.
"We decided together that it would be better for him not to live in obscurity, as he had initially assumed, but to see people and participate in the life of the Church," it says in the published excerpts.
"Unfortunately, this was of little use, because there has been no shortage of controversy over the past ten years, and that has damaged both of us."
Following the surprising resignation of Benedict XVI, the Argentinian Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as his successor on 13 March 2013.
After a brief stay in Castel Gandolfo, Benedict lived in relative seclusion in the Vatican.
His comments occasionally caused a stir, for example in 2020 when he commented on compulsory celibacy in a book by conservative Cardinal Robert Sarah.
The German pope died on New Year's Eve 2022 at the age of 95.