Pope Francis has stated that he may resign if he becomes too exhausted to continue in the role, glamsquad reports
When asked by Italian media what would cause him to resign, Pope Francis, 86, warned of “fatigue that causes you not to see things clearly… A lack of clarity in determining how to assess situations.’
He admitted that he was “a little embarrassed” to be using a wheelchair due to a knee injury.
‘I’m getting old. ‘I have less physical resistance, and the knee [issue] was a physical humiliation, even though the recovery is going well now.’
Last month, the Pope said that papal resignations should happen in exceptional circumstances, and said quitting was not ‘on [his] agenda’.
Pope Francis has been the leader of the Catholic Church since March 2013, and his papacy will be ten years old on Monday.
He also stated that the war in Ukraine was driven by the interests of several empires in an interview with Italian Swiss television RSI, with excerpts published in La Repubblica, La Stampa, and Corriere della Sera.
He claimed that the conflict was fueled by ‘imperial interests, not just of the Russian empire, but of empires from other places.’
He stated his willingness to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to advocate for peace.
While the Pope has repeatedly called for an end to the war and has denied being pro-Putin, he has previously suggested that the invasion of Ukraine was ‘perhaps in some way provoked’.
Asking himself in June last year whether this made him a supporter of Putin, he said: ‘No, I am not. Such a statement would be simplistic and incorrect.’ ‘I am simply opposed to reducing complexity to a distinction between good and bad,’ he added.
Last Christmas Eve, the Pope spoke from a wheelchair about the injustices of war.
The congregation was warned that the Pope couldn’t stand for long periods of time due to knee pain.
For over a year, the Catholic Church’s leader has been plagued by pain in his right knee.
Despite saying last month that quitting was not on the agenda, the Pope has gradually added to speculation that he would at some point.
He previously claimed to have signed a resignation letter in case his health deteriorated: ‘There is already a rule in place. My renunciation has already been signed.’
‘I signed it and said,’ he said “If I become incapacitated for medical reasons or otherwise, please accept my resignation. You now have it, “‘I’m talking about Cardinal Bertone,’ he said, referring to the recipient of the letter.
He preached on the “virtue of stepping aside at the right time” in January.
‘It is easy to become attached to roles and positions, to the need to be esteemed, recognized, and rewarded,’ he explained.
‘It is also good for us to cultivate, like [Saint] John [the Baptist], the virtue of setting ourselves aside at the beginning,’ he continued.