- Aleem Maqbool
- BBC Religion Editor
Pope Francis assured that the time may soon come when he must consider stepping down, and he would do so if he felt his health prevented him from serving in the way he should.
The 85-year-old pope made these comments from the papal plane, at the end of a sojourn in Canada, where he had worked long hours, and apologized to the indigenous people of the North American nation.
He emphasized that for the time being, he plans to continue his duties, and “God will guide him” as to when, if ever, he must leave office.
“It’s not a disaster to change the Pope, it’s not taboo,” he told reporters from a wheelchair on the plane that took him from arctic Canada to Rome.
“The door (to retirement) is open, it’s a normal option. But until today, I haven’t knocked on that door. I haven’t felt the need to think about this possibility, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be in two days. won’t start thinking about it”.
In recent months, Pope Francis has suffered from persistent knee problems that have affected his mobility. He spent much of his visit to Canada in a wheelchair..
But earlier, he rejected speculation about more serious and life-threatening illnesses.
“This journey was intense,” he said. “I don’t think that at my age I can continue to travel at the same pace as I used to and with the limitation of this knee.”
“Do I have to take care of myself a bit to continue serving the Church, or should I consider stepping aside.”
The pope, whose predecessor Benedict XVI resigned in 2013 due to ill health, said he would like to visit Ukraine soon but would need to seek the advice of his doctors first.
image source, Reuters
The Pope’s visit to Canada was aimed at apologizing to the indigenous people.
His visit to Canada was aimed at apologizing to the region’s indigenous people for the mistakes committed against them by the Catholic Church.
The Pope seemed more involved in his interactions with locals, especially survivors of abuse in Catholic schools.
But during some formal proceedings with politicians, there were times when his fatigue from a busy journey seemed obvious.
He spoke to reporters on the plane home on a variety of topics and criticized so-called “traditionalists” in the church, who would likely welcome a change of pope.
“A church that doesn’t evolve is a church that’s going backwards.” said Pope Francis.
“A lot of people who call themselves traditionalists aren’t, they just withdraw. That’s a shame.”
“Tradition is the living faith of the dead, instead their attitude is the dead faith of the living. It is important to understand the role of tradition – a musician used to say that tradition is the guarantee of the future, it is not work that belongs in a museum.
Additional reporting by Sara Monetta
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