Pope Francis has said it is not a “catastrophe or taboo” to change Pope, as he indicated that the time may soon come when he would need to consider stepping down.
The pontiff was speaking at the end of his recent trip to Canada.
He stressed that for the moment, he intends to continue his duties and will be guided by God as to when he will step down, if he steps down at all.
Over recent months, the 85-year-old has suffered knee trouble which has hugely impacted his mobility. He spent much of his visit to Canada in a wheelchair.
“This trip has been intense, 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 in order to continue serving the church, or I need to consider the possibility of stepping aside” the Pope said.
One of the main reasons for the pontiff’s visit to Canada was to apologize to the indigenous people of the region, for the wrongs committed against them by those within the Catholic Church.
“I humbly beg for forgiveness for the evil committed by so many Christians against the Indigenous peoples.”
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