Pope Francis has stated that he will not retire to the Vatican or Argentina, his home country.
The 85-year-old pontiff stated that although he has no immediate plans to resign, “the door is open.”
He stated that he would prefer to continue hearing confessions in a church in Rome.
Francis, 85, told the Spanish-language station TelevisaUnivision that he had no immediate plans to resign but that “the door is open.”
Pope Benedict XVI resigned in 2013, becoming the first pope in 600 years to do so.
Since then, he has lived in a monastery in Vatican City.
Francis stated that the Vatican must properly govern Benedict’s activity as emeritus pope; yet, Benedict’s presence has been beneficial.
Cardinals and canon experts have questioned Benedict’s retirement decisions, particularly his decision to continue wearing the papacy’s white cassock.
Benedict’s refusal at age 95 to return to his birth name, Joseph Ratzinger, has also been a source of conflict.
Critics assert that these decisions and Benedict’s extended presence at the Vatican have confused Catholics and jeopardized the church’s unity.
They claim that traditionalists have been able to utilize Benedict as a conservative reference point when they disagree with Francis’ actions.
Francis hailed Benedict as a “saintly and discreet man” and said, “However, in the future, things should be clarified or made clearer.”
The Pope went on: “I believe he deserves 10 points for taking the initial step after so many decades. It is a miracle.”
Francis stated that he, too, would resign if the moment was appropriate and would contemplate moving into the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the traditional residence of the bishop of Rome.
He stated that he had an apartment in Buenos Aires where he could continue to hear confessions at a nearby church and visit the ill at a nearby hospital.
He stated, “This is what I anticipated for Buenos Aires.” “If I survive till my resignation, I believe I may die before… I’d like something like this.”
Pope questioned abortion
During a comprehensive interview, he was asked if Catholic politicians who support abortion rights should continue to receive the sacraments.
He stated that abortion was a matter of conscience for each elected official to determine.
Given that they are both Catholic, Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi have generated a heated debate about whether it was proper for them to criticize the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the right to obtain an abortion.
The Catholic Church opposes abortion, but the bishops of the United States chose not to formally reprimand Mr. Biden for his support of abortion rights.
The pope stated, “I leave it to his conscience and ask that he consult with his bishop, pastor, or parish priest about this discrepancy.”
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco has prohibited Ms. Pelosi from receiving Communion in his archdiocese, although she just received Communion during a papal mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
