Pope Francis still does not rule out resigning as head of the Catholic Church. On Saturday night, the 85-year-old told reporters on his return flight to Rome:

“He is not currently considering resigning, but that doesn’t mean he can’t start the day after tomorrow.”

In recent weeks, health problems have fueled speculation about a possible resignation. He denied the rumors in early July.

At the same time, he did not fundamentally exclude a day like his predecessor Benedict XVI. to resign if his health prevents him from continuing his job. When asked when this might happen, he replied, “We don’t know. Allah will say,” in an interview he gave about a month ago.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, as Francis is called in civil society, also touched on his state of health. He has been unable to take a few steps for the past six days and is often confined to a wheelchair. The Pope has been troubled for a long time. knee injury.

The knee problem can be fixed with surgery, but Francis doesn’t want to go under the knife again after his last surgery on his colon just over a year ago.

“The whole problem is anesthesia,” he explained. This left its mark for the last time to date. “You’re not playing with anesthesia,” said the 85-year-old. In his own words, Francis still wants to keep traveling. You just need to plan them a little smaller.

In Canada, he has been visiting indigenous people since Sunday to seek forgiveness for the violence and abuse they suffered as children in church-run boarding schools.