CANADA: The Pope acknowledged that he can no longer travel like he used to due to his strained knee ligaments. This comes after his Canadian pilgrimage, in which he stated that the trip was a test which showed his need to slow down.
He also mentioned, “I have not felt the need to think about this possibility that is not to say that in two days I might not start thinking about it.” He ended with “the door is open” and there was nothing wrong with a pope stepping down.
“The door is open. It is one of the normal options. Up until today, I did not use that door. I did not think it was necessary to think of this possibility but that does not mean that the day after tomorrow I don’t start thinking about it,” the Pontiff said.
The Pope’s right knee ligaments were strained earlier this year and he has been taking laser and magnetic therapy which has resulted in cancelling his trip to Africa. The trip to Canada was difficult and there were moments of discomfort for Pope Francis.
The pope, whose predecessor Benedict XVI retired in 2013 due to ill health said he would like to visit Ukraine soon but would have to seek the advice of his doctor first.
During his visit to Canada, his grim goal was to apologize to the indigenous people of the region for the wrongs done to them by members of the Catholic Church.
The Pope seemed most involved in his interactions with local people particularly survivors of abuse at Catholic schools.
But during some formal meetings with politicians, there were times when his weariness from the busy journey was evident.
“I’ll try to continue to do the trips and be close to people because I think it’s a way of servicing, being close. But more than this, I can’t say,” he said Saturday.
The Pope agreed to the attempt to remove Indigenous culture in Canada through a Church ran residential school system equated to cultural “genocide”.
However, Francis said the term was not used on his trip to Canada because it didn’t come to mind. “Indeed, I didn’t use the word because it didn’t come to mind, but I described genocide, no?” Francis said. “I apologized, I asked forgiveness for this work, which was genocide.”
“I think at my age and with these limitations, I have to save (my energy) to be able to serve the church, or on the contrary, think about the possibility of stepping aside,” he said.
