– I don't think I can continue traveling as before, said the 85-year-old Pope as he headed home to the Vatican on Saturday after completing a six-day visit to Canada.

There he had to use a wheelchair several times because of knee problems.

– I think that with my age and these limitations, I have to restrain myself a little to be able to serve the church. “Alternatively, I am considering the possibility of resigning,” the Pope continued.

Benedict continued

This is not the first time the Pope has mentioned that he might step down and follow the example of his predecessor Benedict XVI.

He resigned in 2013 due to poor health and now lives a quiet life at the Vatican. It was the first time a pope had resigned since the Middle Ages, and the decision sent shockwaves throughout the Catholic Church.

The following year, in 2014, Pope Francis said that if he had health problems, he would consider resigning. And in May this year, according to Italian media, he is said to have jokingly said that he would rather retire than have his knee operated on. The statement was said to have been made in a closed meeting with the bishops.

– Usually

On Saturday, he described his possible departure as a “normal choice”.

– But until now I have not knocked on this door. But that doesn't mean I won't think about it the day after tomorrow, right? But right now I'm not thinking about it, he said.

He called the trip to Canada a kind of test and admitted it was too demanding for a man with his condition and it was time to change his style.

During his visit to Canada, the Pope asked for forgiveness for the injustices committed by Catholic schools against the country's indigenous population in connection with the forced transfer of thousands of children to boarding schools.

– Genocide

On the flight home, he called the treatment of indigenous people genocide.

– I didn't say that word in Canada because I couldn't think of it, but I described the genocide. And I ask for forgiveness for this process, which is genocide, the Pope told journalists accompanying him on the trip.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada determined in 2015 that the forced placement of Indigenous children in boarding schools was “cultural genocide.”

From the late 19th century until the 1970s, 150,000 children were exposed to assimilation policies aimed at eliminating children's native culture, language and identity. Thousands of people died during their time at the school, and in recent years a number of unmarked graves have been discovered associated with the now-closed school.

Always update yourself. Get the daily newsletter from Dagsavisen!