Slow down, or stop. On the plane bringing him back from his trip to Canada, Pope Francis admitted on Friday, July 29, that he had to “to limit a little” on the physical plane, also evoking the possibility of “put aside”. During this six-day visit, the pope appeared weakened and moved around mainly in a wheelchair.
“I don’t believe that I can maintain the same pace of travel as before. I believe that at my age, and with these limits, I must spare myself in order to be able to serve the Church, or on the contrary think about the possibility of put me aside”did he declare.
“In all honesty, it’s not a disaster. We can change the pope. It’s not a problem.”
pope francisto journalists aboard his plane
This 37th international trip since his election in 2013 “was a bit of a test”continued the pope. “It’s true that we can’t travel in this state, maybe we need to change the style a bit”he added, while confident that he “would try to continue to travel, to be close to people, because it is a way of serving, closeness”. Dreduced by severe pain in his knee, he said he was keeping “aftereffects” anesthesia suffered in July 2021 during his colon operation.
Jorge Bergoglio also renewed his desire to go to kyiv, Ukraine, without further details, and confirmed the plan to travel to Kazakhstan in September to participate in a summit of senior religious leaders. He added that he would visit South Sudan “before” to go to the Democratic Republic of Congo, when he was to visit the two countries at the beginning of July during the same trip, postponed indefinitely because of his state of health.
On the subject of a possible renunciation, like his predecessor Benedict XVI, the pope repeated that the door was “opened”. “But until today, I haven’t opened that door. As they say, I haven’t felt it, to think about that possibility. But that doesn’t mean that the day after tomorrow I don’t I’m not going to start thinking about it.”