• Pope Francis denies rumours that he plans to step down soon.
• The 85-year-old pontiff says his doctors haven’t told him anything about cancer.
• He may retire if declining health makes it difficult for him to manage the Church, something was unimaginable before Benedict XVI.

Pope Francis has denied rumours that he plans to step down soon by saying that he plans to go to Canada this month and then hopes to go to Moscow and Kyiv as soon as possible after that.

In an exclusive interview in his Vatican apartment, Francis refuted cancer rumours, saying that his doctors “didn’t tell me anything about it.” He also disclosed specifics of the knee issue that has stopped him from doing some duties.

In a 90-minute chat Saturday afternoon, the 85-year-old pontiff condemned abortion following last month’s US Supreme Court justice.

Late in August, Pope Francis met with cardinals from around the world to talk about a new Vatican constitution. He also made new cardinals and went to L’Aquila, Italy, which led to rumours that he was resigning.

Pope Celestine V resigned in 1294 from L’Aquila. Before resigning, Pope Benedict XVI was the first pope in 600 years to visit the city before resigning.

Francis, awake and at ease during the interview, laughed off the idea.

“These coincidences led some to believe the same ‘liturgy’ would happen,” he claimed. “I never considered it. Currently, no. Really!“

Francis repeated his position that he may retire if declining health makes it difficult for him to manage the Church, something was unimaginable before Benedict XVI.

He answered, “We don’t know. God will say.”

The interview took place the day he was to leave for Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. He had to cancel the trip because doctors suggested he might also miss a trip to Canada from July 24–30 unless he consented to 20 more days of rehabilitation and rest for his right knee.

He said cancelling the Africa trip caused him “great suffering,” especially because he wanted to promote peace.

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Francis used a cane to enter a reception area on the ground floor of the Santa Marta guest house, where he has stayed since his 2013 election.

Francis’ room features a copy of Joachim Schmidtner’s 1700 picture  “Mary, Untier of Knots.”

Asked how he was, the pope joked: “I’m still alive!”

He said he sustained a “small fracture” in his knee after misstepping while a ligament was irritated.

“I am well, I am slowly getting better,” he stated, adding that laser and magnet therapy healed his fracture.

Francis also denied that he had cancer when he had a six-hour operation for diverticulitis, a common illness in older people, a year ago.

“It (the operation) was a great success,” he said, adding with a laugh that “they didn’t tell me anything,” he added.

He indicated he didn’t want knee surgery because last year’s anaesthesia caused side effects.

Francis said that Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have spoken about a possible trip to Moscow.

Early signals were bad. No pope has ever visited Moscow, and Francis has consistently opposed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Last Thursday, he called it a “cruel and senseless war of aggression.”

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