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Pope Francis has hinted at his retirement from his position as the head of the catholic church and sovereign head of the Vatican city, citing health reasons for his decision.
Pope Francis made his position known while on a trip to Canada, saying he could no longer maintain his hectic international travel schedule.
Although the 85-year-old pontiff stressed that for the moment he intends to continue in his duties and will be guided by God as to when he will step down or if he will step down at all. “It is not a catastrophe to change Pope, it is not a taboo,” he told journalists from a wheelchair on the plane from Canada’s Arctic territory to Rome.
“The door [to retiring] is open – it is a normal option. But until today I have not knocked on that door. I have not felt the need to think about this possibility – that is not to say that in two days I might not start thinking about it.” “This trip has been intense,” he said. “I don’t think I can keep traveling with the same rhythm I used to at my age and with the limitation of this knee. “I either need to save myself a little to continue serving the Church, or I need to consider the possibility of stepping aside.” The Pope – whose predecessor Benedict XVI retired due to ill health in 2013 – did say that he was keen to visit Ukraine soon, but would have to seek the advice of his doctors first.
The Pope appeared most engaged in his interactions with local people – particularly survivors of abuse at Catholic schools.
Pope Francis is the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 2013. Francis is the first pope to be a member of the Society of Jesus, the first from the Americas, and the first pope from outside Europe since Gregory III, a Syrian who reigned in the 8th century.