Pope Francis says he will slow down or retire: 'You can change a Pope'
The Hindu
“It's not strange. It's not a catastrophe. You can change the Pope,” he said while sitting in an airplane wheelchair during a 45-minute news conference.
Pope Francis acknowledged on July 30 that he can no longer travel like he used to because of his strained knee ligaments, saying his weeklong Canadian pilgrimage was “a bit of a test” that showed he needs to slow down and one day possibly retire.
Speaking to reporters while travelling home from northern Nunavut, the 85-year-old Pope stressed that he hadn't thought about resigning but said “the door is open” and there was nothing wrong with a Pope stepping down.
“It's not strange. It's not a catastrophe. You can change the Pope,” he said while sitting in an airplane wheelchair during a 45-minute news conference.
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Pope said that while he hadn't considered resigning until now, he realises he has to at least slow down. “I think at my age and with these limitations, I have to save (my energy) to be able to serve the church, or on the contrary, think about the possibility of stepping aside,” he said.
Pope was peppered with questions about the future of his Pontificate following the first trip in which he used a wheelchair, walker and cane to get around, sharply limiting his programme and ability to mingle with crowds.
He strained his right knee ligaments earlier this year and continuing laser and magnetic therapy forced him to cancel a trip to Africa that was scheduled for the first week of July.
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