After Pope Francis summoned the cardinals from all parts of the world to Rome for the end of August, rumors arose about his resignation. The Catholic Church leader rejects this.
Pope Francis has denied rumors of an impending resignation in August. “It never occurred to me,” said the Catholic Church leader in an interview with the Reuters news agency.
The speculation had arisen because Francis had called the cardinals from all parts of the world – who elect the pope in the conclave – to Rome for the end of August and is also planning a visit to L’Aquila, Italy, where Pope Celestine V is buried . He was the first pope in history to resign from office during his lifetime.
However, it is no secret that Pope Francis could one day resign. The condition for this would be for him that he could no longer exercise his office due to his health. “We don’t know,” he replied when asked when he thought that would be the case. “God will say so.”
Francis also cleared up the fact that cancer was discovered about a year ago during his bowel surgery. The operation was successful, said the Argentine. He was never told anything about cancer. He dismissed the rumors as schoolyard gossip.
The pontiff is currently suffering from a sore knee, which is why he had to postpone his trip to Africa, which was planned for the beginning of July. He said the pain stems from a small fracture in his knee, which he suffered when he stumbled while suffering from ligament inflammation. However, he does not want to have an operation because he had side effects from the anesthetic after the previous operation. “I’m slowly getting better,” said Francis.
