Pope Francis has denied rumors that he would soon resign. In an exclusive interview with Reuters, at his residence in the Vatican, the leader of the Catholic Church said that he does not think about resignation and that he does not suffer from any serious illness. He also announced that he intends to travel to Moscow and Kiev as soon as possible, in addition to giving an opinion on abortion.
Rumors that emerged in the media pointed out that next month the Catholic Church would bring together a series of events, among them the drafting of a new Vatican constitution and the inauguration of new cardinals. According to speculation, this would indicate that Pope Francis’ leadership is coming to an end.
On the possibility of the pontiff suffering from cancer, he joked “my doctors didn’t tell me anything about it”. He also said that the only illness that had disrupted the Church leader’s schedule in recent months was a fractured knee.
On the war in Ukraine, the pope strongly condemned the Russian invasion. He also said that for months he had tried to negotiate a trip to Moscow, but that Russian leaders said it was “not a good time”. Even so, the pontiff insists on wanting to visit the Russian capital before going to Kiev, in an attempt to “help in some way”.
Regarding abortion in the United States, an issue that has gained traction since the annulment of Roe v Wade in June, Pope Francis declared that “having an abortion is like hiring a hired assassin”. And he even posed the question: “I ask: is it legitimate, is it right, to take a human life to solve a problem?”. The Catholic Church teaches that life begins at conception.
#Pope #Francis #denies #resignation #plan