Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - Pope Francis has refuted rumours that he intends to quit in the near future, stating that he is schedul...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - Pope Francis has refuted rumours that he intends to quit in the near future, stating that he is scheduled to visit Canada this month and hopes to travel to Moscow and Kiev as soon as feasible thereafter.
In an exclusive interview at his Vatican apartment, Francis also refuted rumours that he had cancer, joking that his doctors "didn't tell me about it," and disclosed for the first time the knee issue that has stopped him from doing certain duties.
In a 90-minute meeting with no aides present on Saturday afternoon, the 85-year-old pontiff reiterated his condemnation of abortion following last month's U.S. Supreme Court judgement.
Meetings with the world's cardinals to negotiate a new Vatican constitution, a ceremony to induct new cardinals, and a visit to the Italian city of L'Aquila in late August are rumoured to portend a departure announcement.
The 1294 resignation of Pope Celestine V is related with L'Aquila. Pope Benedict XVI visited the city four years prior to his resignation in 2013, becoming the first pope in about 600 years to do so.
Francis, though, who was awake and at ease throughout the whole interview as he discussed a vast array of international and Church concerns, scoffed at the notion.
"These coincidences led some to believe that the same 'liturgy' would occur," he explained. "But it never entered my thoughts. Currently, no, currently, no. Really!"
Francis did, however, reiterate his oft-stated view that he might resign if deteriorating health made it impossible for him to lead the Church - something that was inconceivable before to the election of Benedict XVI.
When asked when he believed this might occur, he responded, "We do not know. God will say."
KNEE INJURY
The interview took place on the day he was scheduled to depart for Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, a trip he was forced to cancel after doctors informed him that he could also miss a trip to Canada from July 24-30 if he did not agree to 20 more days of therapy and rest for his right knee.
He stated that the choice to cancel the trip to Africa had caused him "great suffering," especially because he desired to promote peace in both nations.
Francis utilised a cane as he entered a reception area on the ground floor of the Santa Marta guest house, where he has resided since his election in 2013. He has eschewed the papal palace in the Apostolic Palace, which his predecessors occupied.
The chamber contains a reproduction of one of Francis' favourite paintings, "Mary, Untying Knots" by the German artist Joachim Schmidtner, painted around 1700.
When asked about his health, the pope said, "I'm still alive!"
He disclosed for the first time in public that he had sustained a "small fracture" in his knee when he misstepped while a ligament was irritated.
"I am well and progressively recovering," he added, adding that laser and magnet therapy were aiding in the healing of his fracture.
Francis also refuted rumours that he was diagnosed with cancer a year ago, when he underwent a six-hour operation to remove a portion of his colon due to diverticulitis, an age-related illness.
"They didn't tell me anything about the cancer," he laughed, dismissing the rumour as "court gossip."
However, he stated that he did not want knee surgery because the general anaesthetic from last year's procedure had significant after effects.
PAPAL TRIP TO MOSCOW?
Francis, referring to the situation in Ukraine, indicated that Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had discussed a possible trip to Moscow.
Initial indications were not favourable. No pope has ever visited Moscow, and Francis has consistently opposed Russia's invasion of Ukraine. On Thursday, he implied that Russia was waging a "cruel and pointless campaign of aggression."
When the Vatican originally inquired about a trip to Russia a few months ago, Francis stated Moscow responded that the timing was not suitable.
However, he suggested that something may have changed.
"I'd like to visit (Ukraine), but I'd like to visit Moscow first. We communicated about this because I believed that if the Russian president provided me a modest opportunity to assist the cause of peace, I needed to take use of it.
"And now it is feasible, after I return from Canada, that I will be able to travel to Ukraine," he stated. "The first step is to travel to Russia in an effort to assist, but I would like to visit both capitals."
ABORTION RULING
When asked about the U.S. Supreme Court's decision overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade case establishing a woman's right to an abortion, Pope Francis stated that he respected the decision but lacked sufficient legal knowledge to comment.
However, he vehemently opposed abortion, comparing it to "hiring a hit man." The Catholic Church holds that at the moment of conception, life starts.
"I ask: Is it permissible and moral to eliminate a human life to solve a problem?"
Francis was questioned about a discussion in the United States regarding the communion eligibility of a Catholic politician who is personally opposed to abortion but supports the liberty to choose for others.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, for instance, is prohibited by the conservative archbishop of her home diocese in San Francisco from receiving communion there, but receives it frequently at a parish in Washington, D.C. She received the sacrament at a papal Mass in the Vatican last week.
"When the Church loses its pastoral nature, or when a bishop loses his pastoral nature, it creates a political problem," stated the pope. That is all I have to say.
