Pope Francis said today that he can no longer travel as much as he used to because of knee problems, adding that his week-long pilgrimage to Canada was a “little test” that showed he needed to slow down and maybe one day retire.
On his return from Nunavut, Canada, where he apologized for violence against indigenous children in Catholic schools from the 19th century to 1970, the pope said he had not considered withdrawing, but said the “door was open” and that there was no nothing wrong with replacing the pope.
“It’s not strange. It’s not a disaster. You can change the pope,” Pope Francis said.
He stated that although he has not thought about retiring until now, he realizes that he must at least slow down.
“I think that at my age and with these limitations I have to conserve (energy) to be able to serve the church, or on the contrary, to consider the possibility of retiring,” the pope said.
Earlier this year, he sprained ligaments in his right knee, and due to therapy, he had to cancel a trip to Africa, scheduled for the first week of July.
“I will try to continue traveling and being close to people, because I think that is the way to serve, to be close. But I can’t say more than that,” Pope Francis said.