In a recent interview with Mexican television, marking the second anniversary of his election, Pope Francis has suggested he may resign his papacy like his predecessor, rather than remain at the Vatican for life.
“I have the feeling that my pontificate will be brief. Four or five years; I do not know, even two or three,” the pontiff said.
Pope Francis praised Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to step aside in 2013 as “courageous”.
“Benedict should not be considered an exception, but an institution. Maybe he will be the only one for a long time, maybe he will not be the only one.
“But an institutional door has been opened,” Pope Francis told the Televisa channel.
Pope Francis has hinted in the past that he could retire, but said he was opposed to the idea of an age limit for leaders of the Catholic Church.
“To say that one is in charge up to 80 years, creates a sensation that the pontificate is at its end and that would not be a good thing,” he added.
A papal conclave elected Pope Francis as Benedict XVI’s successor on March 13, 2013. He became the first Latin American to lead the Church.
During the interview Pope Francis admitted he was “surprised” by the decision and had only carried a small suitcase to Rome, with the expectation he would return to Buenos Aires.
His simple style has won him praise from Catholics, as have his promises to reform the Curia – the Church’s internal government.
However, he said two years of his papacy had now passed and he felt it would not continue for very much longer.
“I do not know. But I feel that the Lord has placed me here for a short time, and nothing more,” he added.
“But it is a feeling. I always leave the possibility open.”
Pope Francis told Televisa that he “did not mind being Pope”, but missed the anonymity associated with life as a priest.
“The only thing I would like is to go out one day, without being recognised, and go to a pizzeria for a pizza.”
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Pope Francis has warned that the Catholic Church is too focused on preaching about abortion, gay people and contraception and needs to become more merciful.
The Pope warned that the Church’s moral structure could “fall like a house of cards” unless it changed.
Pope Francis used the first major interview of his papacy to explain comments he made in July about homosexuality.
He told a Jesuit magazine the Church must show balance and “heal wounds”.
The pontiff used the 12,000-word interview with La Civilta Cattolicato to set out his priorities as Pope, acknowledge his own shortcomings and open up about his cultural interests.
Pope Francis’ vision for relegating the Catholic Church’s reliance on rules marks a contrast to the priorities of his predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, who saw doctrine as the paramount guide for clergy
“The church’s pastoral ministry cannot be obsessed with the transmission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently,” Pope Francis said.
“We have to find a new balance; otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel.”
Instead, he said, the Catholic Church must work to heal the wounds of its faithful and seek out those who have been excluded or have fallen away.
“It is useless to ask a seriously injured person if he has high cholesterol and about the level of his blood sugars,” he said.
“You have to heal his wounds. Then we can talk about everything else.”
Pope Francis said the Church had become tied up in “small-minded rules” and risked losing its true purpose.
Pope Francis has warned that the Catholic Church is too focused on preaching about abortion, gay people and contraception and needs to become more merciful
“The most important thing is the first proclamation: Jesus Christ has saved you. And the ministers of the Church must be ministers of mercy above all.”
His remarks are could generate dismay among clergy in the United States who have already expressed disappointment that Francis has not pressed Church teaching on abortion, contraception and homo***uality.
Last week, Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, Rhode Island, wrote in his diocesan newspaper that he was “disappointed” Pope Francis hadn’t addressed abortion since his papacy began six months ago, according to AP.
Pope Francis said it was not necessary to speak out on such issues.
“We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods. This is not possible,” he said.
“The teaching of the Church, for that matter, is clear and I am a son of the Church, but it is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time.”
Pope Francis created headlines two months ago when he spoke about gay priests during an impromptu news conference on a return flight from Brazil. He said it was not up to him to judge about the sexual orientation of clergy as long as they were searching for God and had goodwill.
In his latest interview, Pope Francis said his remarks were in line with Catholic teaching.
“This Church with which we should be thinking is the home of all, not a small chapel that can hold only a small group of selected people. We must not reduce the bosom of the universal Church to a nest protecting our mediocrity,” he said.
Pope Francis also used the interview to detail his favorite composers, artists, authors and films, which include Mozart, Caravaggio, Dostoevsky and Fellini’s La Strada.
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Vatican has announced that Pope Benedict XVI has amended Roman Catholic Church law so that the conclave selecting his successor can be brought forward.
The change to the constitution means cardinals will no longer have to wait 15 days after the papacy becomes vacant before beginning the conclave.
As a result, the conclave can now start before March 15.
Pope Benedict’s resignation, the first by a pope in nearly 600 years, takes effect on Thursday, February 28.
His decision surprised many within the Catholic Church.
“I leave the College of Cardinals the possibility to bring forward the start of the conclave once all cardinals are present, or push the beginning of the election back by a few days should there be serious reasons,” the Pope said in a statement read by his spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi.
Vatican officials explained that the change was partly due to the fact that the church constitution was written principally for a conclave following the death of a pope, rather than a resignation.
The decision on the date of the beginning of the conclave will be taken by the cardinals but will not happen earlier than March 1st, officials said.
A conclave beginning in mid-March would have left little time to have a new pope installed for one of the most important periods in the Catholic calendar, as Easter Holy Week begins on March 24.
Pope Benedict XVI has amended Roman Catholic Church law so that the conclave selecting his successor can be brought forward
The news about the timing of the conclave comes as the Pope accepted the resignation of the Roman Catholic Church’s highest cleric in Scotland, Cardinal Keith O’Brien.
It follows allegations – which he contests – of inappropriate behavior towards priests dating from the 1980s.
Vatican officials said that his Cardinal Keith O’Brien’s resignation was linked to the fact that he was approaching his 75th birthday and the Pope was keen to accept resignations and get business going ahead of his own resignation taking effect.
Cardinal Keith O’Brien has confirmed he will not take part in the conclave to elect Benedict’s successor.
Vatican officials said that no decision had been yet taken on how the Pope should be referred to during the period between popes.
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