Vatican City Pope Francis has dismissed reports that he plans to resign in the near future, saying he is on track to visit Canada this month and hopes to be able to go to Moscow and Kyiv as soon as possible after that. Pope Benedict XVI visited the city four years before he resigned in 2013, the first pope to do so in about 600 years. But Francis, alert and at ease throughout the interview as he discussed a wide range of international and Church issues, laughed the idea off. When the Vatican first asked about a trip several months ago, Francis said Moscow replied that it was not the right time. "When the Church loses its pastoral nature, when a bishop loses his pastoral nature, it causes a political problem," the pope said.

Source: CNN July 04, 2022 13:00 UTC