The Pope said the trip was a “test” and showed him that he needed to slow down and possibly retire at some point. Speaking at a press conference, he brushed aside concerns about a Pope change. He said: “It’s not surprising. It’s not a disaster. You can change the Pope.” He said he wasn’t thinking of quitting immediately, but acknowledged he needed to “slow down.” Earlier this month, the Pope spoke about the retirement of his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict. He claimed the transition worked “pretty well”. He said: “I think at my age and with these restrictions, I have to save [my energy] to be able to serve the church or instead to think about stepping aside.” The Pope was bombarded with questions about the future after he was seen using a wheelchair, walker and cane to get around. During his trip to Canada, there were several moments when Pope Francis was clearly struggling or even in pain as he rose from his chair. Strained ligaments have made it much more difficult for the Pope to engage effectively with crowds. READ MORE: Brexit LIVE: Truss and Sunak call for £11bn of EU funds to be withdrawn The Pope was due to make a trip to Africa in early July, but continued laser and magnetic therapy on his knee, which he strained earlier this year, has kept him off the continent. After his six-day tour of Canada, Pope Francis appeared to be in good spirits. He ruled out surgery on his knee, citing lingering effects from a July 2021 surgery that removed 13 inches of his colon. He said on Saturday (July 30): “I’m going to try to keep traveling and being around people because I think it’s a way of service, being around. But more than that, I can’t say.” Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission ruled in 2015 that forcibly removing Indigenous children from their parents and homes to be raised in Catholic-run schools constitutes “cultural genocide.” DON’T MISS: Boris supporters activate rules to push for SUSPENSION in leadership race [ANALYSIS]Popular hot drink may be linked to ‘leading’ cause of blindness [INSIGHT]LIVE: Kyiv humiliates Putin as they lose 40 thousand soldiers [LIVE] Pope Francis said: “It’s true that I didn’t use the word because it didn’t occur to me, but I described genocide, didn’t I? I asked for forgiveness, I asked for forgiveness for this act, which was genocide.” The Catholic Church has reformed several of its official views under the leadership of Pope Francis, including the theory that the possession of atomic weapons is immoral and that the death penalty is immoral in all cases. In September, he will travel to Kazakhstan for an interfaith conference where he will likely meet with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, who justified Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Pope has also expressed a desire to visit Kyiv, however no trip there has been planned to date.
