Pope Francis has denied rumours that he is planning to resign from his position within the next few years. In an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, the Pope said that he is not considering resigning and that he plans to serve for as long as God wills.
The rumours of Pope Francis' resignation have been circulating for some time, but this is the first time that he has directly addressed them. It is not uncommon for Popes to resign, but it is usually due to health reasons. Pope Benedict XVI resigned in 2013 due to declining health, and before him, Pope John Paul II resigned after suffering from Parkinson's disease.
Pope Francis has denied reports that he plans to resign in the near future, saying that he is on track to visit Canada this month, and hopeful that he will be able to visit Moscow and Kyiv soon after.
In an exclusive interview with Reuters at his Vatican residence, Francis denied rumors that he had cancer, joking that his doctors "didn't tell me anything about it," and for the first time gave details of the knee condition that has prevented him carrying out some duties.
In a 90-minute conversation on Saturday afternoon, conducted in Italian and with no aides present, the 85-year-old pontiff also repeated his condemnation of abortion following the US Supreme Court ruling last month.
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There has been speculation in the media that a series of events in late August, including meetings with the world's cardinals to discuss a new Vatican constitution, a ceremony to induct new cardinals, and a visit to the Italian city of L'Aquila, could foreshadow a resignation announcement. L'Aquila is associated with Pope Celestine V, who resigned the papacy in 1294. Pope Benedict XVI visited the city four years before he resigned in 2013, the first pope to do so in about 600 years.
Pope Francis laughed off the idea that he would retire soon, saying that the coincidence of a number of recent events had led some to believe that he would step down, but that it had never entered his mind. He said that, for the moment, he had no plans to retire.
In spite of this, Francis iterated his long-held belief that he would step down from his position if his health began to impede his ability to lead the Church--something that was virtually unthinkable before Benedict XVI. When pressed for a timeline on this potential resignation, Francis replied that only God knows.
Source:
https://www.reuters.com/world/exclusive-pope-francis-denies-he-is-planning-resign-soon-2022-07-04/
https://news.yahoo.com/pope-francis-denies-planning-resign-130633233.html
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/07/04/europe/pope-francis-resignation-denial-intl/index.html