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Pope Francis has not considered retiring, but has made it clear that he reserves the right to resign after physical struggles on his recent apostolic journey.
Pope Francis answered questions from reporters on Saturday after making a historic visit to Canada to promote fraternity with the country’s Catholic Indigenous peoples. was forced to
Asked repeatedly by the media if he had plans to resign, the Pope said he was not thinking about retirement yet, but said Canada was a “test” of his vitality and showed he was slowing down.
“Whatever the Lord says,” Pope Francis told a French reporter. “The Lord can order me to resign. It is the Lord who orders me.”
Pope says society ‘doesn’t know how to live’ with rising proportion of older people
The Pope said, “At my age, I believe that with this restriction, we will have to cut back a bit in order to be able to serve the Church. Or, conversely, think about the possibility of stepping aside.”
Pope Francis has denied ever considering retirement, and popes traditionally serve until the day they die on the throne. When Francis resigns, the stage is set for the Vatican to be inhabited by three “popes” at once.
However, Pope Francis seems willing to continue his duties and prevent such a situation, despite the need for major surgery.
“In my case, knee surgery is not planned. Experts say yes, but I have anesthesia issues. Ten months ago, I had over six hours of anesthesia, and I’m still There are traces, you don’t play, you don’t play ‘Don’t mess with anesthesia,’ he said at a press conference.
Pope Francis explains papal pressure: ‘Sometimes you feel paralyzed’
Last month, at a meeting with a dozen Catholic bishops, Visit the Vatican from BrazilPope Francis discussed his health and future plans for his reign.
According to the Portuguese version, the pope told visiting Archbishop Roque Paloski that resigning from the papacy would “not give him a headache.” The official news service of the Vatican.
However, the pope did not pretend to be healthy and told the bishops that he was facing many difficulties, but that he wanted to live the life that God had given him to the end.
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The pope underwent colon surgery last July and was hospitalized for nearly two weeks. Since his surgery, Pope has regularly complained of knee pain and other side effects.
The 85-year-old Pope has repeatedly raised the topic of old age and decline in recent years. His lessons and comments about the reality of aging as the Pope continues to perform a physically demanding job while struggling with a series of health concerns are often optimistic.