Pope Francis Expects Papacy of Four or Five Years
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Buda Mendes/Getty Images(VATICAN CITY) — Two years to the day after he was elected to lead the world’s 1.1 billion Catholics, Pope Francis said Friday that he expects to have only a short papacy.
“I have the feeling that my Pontificate will be brief, 4 or 5 years; I do not know, even 2 or 3,” the 78-year-old pontiff told Mexican broadcaster Televisa.
“I feel that the Lord has placed me here for a short time, and nothing more,” he added, comparing the feeling to “a gambler who convinces himself he will lose so he won’t be disappointed. And if he wins, he’s happy.”
When asked if he liked being pope, Francis told the interviewer that he doesn’t mind, but that he also wouldn’t mind some degree of anonymity. “The only thing I would like is to go out one day, without being recognized, and go to a pizzeria for a pizza,” he said.
After two years at the helm of the Holy See, Pope Francis remains incredibly popular.
Francis marked the second anniversary as pope by hearing confessions at the Vatican.
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