Pope Francis said on Sunday that retirement is possible for all pontiffs, but he is not thinking about it at present.
In an interview with Italian TV host Fabio Fazio during his show on the commercial channel Nove, the pope said: “As long as I feel like serving, I will continue to do it.” However, he noted that if conditions change, “we will have to rethink about it.”
The 87-year-old pontiff’s health has been of great concern lately. On Friday, he was unable to present a speech at the Vatican because of “a touch of bronchitis.”
The pope also suffered from an acute lung infection in November, which canceled his trip to Dubai’s COP28 climate summit.
As of now, the pope said that resigning “is not a thought, a concern or a desire, but a possibility open to all popes. But at the moment, it is not at the center of my thoughts.”
