Pope Francis Hints At Brief Papacy

On the second anniversary of his assuming the papacy, yesterday Pope Francis indicated that he may retire relatively soon.

"I have the feeling that my pontificate will be brief. Four or five years; I do not know, even two or three," he said. He praised Pope Benedict'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," he 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.

The pope added that he longs to go out for a pizza without being recognized.