Pope Francis admits he must slow down or consider retiring

The pope said his week-long Canadian pilgrimage was ‘a bit of a test’.

Pope Francis holds onto his skull cap in the wind during his visit to the Citadelle de Quebec, Wednesday, July 27, 2022, in Quebec City, Quebec City, Quebec. Pope Francis is on a "penitential" six-day visit to Canada to beg forgiveness from survivors of the country's residential schools, where Catholic missionaries contributed to the "cultural genocide" of generations of Indigenous children by trying to stamp out their languages, cultures and traditions. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Pope Francis has acknowledged he can no longer travel like he used to because of his strained knee ligaments, saying his week-long Canadian pilgrimage was “a bit of a test” that showed he needs to slow down and one day possibly retire.

Speaking to reporters while traveling home from Nunavut near the Arctic Cirle, the 85-year-old stressed that he had not thought about resigning but said “the door is open” and there was nothing wrong with a pope stepping down.