Pope Francis: Rumours of stomach cancer are ‘court gossip’

Pope Francis has labelled rumours he is seriously ill as “court gossip” and has weighed in on suggestions he is close to retiring.

Pope Francis has rebuffed suggestions he may be readying to resign, saying in an interview that rumours he was suffering from a serious illness were “court gossip”.

“It never crossed my mind”, Francis told Reuters news agency after weeks of speculation.

Pressed on whether he might emulate his predecessor Benedict XVI, who was the first pope since the Middle Ages to resign, the Argentine said “for the moment, no. For the moment, no. Really!”

But in the interview, which took place on Saturday at the Vatican, he repeated his often-stated position that he might resign someday if failing health made it impossible for him to run the Church.

Asked when that might be, the 85-year old said: “We don’t know. God will say.”

Pope Francis denies he is planning to resign. Picture: AFP

Francis said he had suffered a “small fracture” in his knee, which was treated with laser and magnet therapy.

The knee pain forced him to indefinitely postpone a July trip to Africa – which further fuelled the rumour mill he was planning to retire.

He denied rumours that he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer during his colon operation in July 2021, saying it was merely “court gossip”.

The pontiff’s comments come after he was pictured using his wheelchair more frequently and requiring help from aides.

Experts last week cautioned against believing the rumour mill.

A Vatican source said: “In the Pope’s entourage, the majority of people don’t really believe in the possibility of a resignation”.

Francis will travel to Canada this month, after which he said he would like to travel to Moscow and Kyiv if possible.

The pontiff has repeatedly offered to help mediate in the war, saying he was hopeful for an invitation to visit Russian President Vladimir Putin following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.