Pope Francis dismisses resignation reports

Pope Francis has rebuffed suggestions he may be readying to resign, saying in an interview published Monday 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 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.

• Pope Francis