'2-3 years and I'll be off to the father's house' -Pope Francis Speaks About Early Retirement And Death

Pope Francis, while speaking to reporters on his way back to Rome from a trip to South Korea, he mentioned the possibility of retiring from the Papacy if he felt he could no longer perform his duties. Just like his other predecessor, Benedict XVI who stepped down last year, before Francis's accession to the Papal throne. Pope Benedict XVI's resignation last February made him the first Catholic leader to step down in nearly 600 years.

 'Even if it does not appeal to some theologians', he told the reporters, 'I see it as the generosity of the people of God. I try to think of my sins, my mistakes, not to become proud. Because I know it will last only a short time,' he said.

Then, apparently light-heartedly, he added: 'Two or three years and then I'll be off to the Father's House.'

At the time Pope Francis's accession to the Papacy, there are reports that Francis had a lung removed when he was a teenager in Argentina after suffering an infection. Dr William Schaffner, chairman of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, said at the time: 'Obviously, this was a success because here he is at age 76.
'So whatever they did got him over that precarious period.' As people age they generally become more susceptible to lung infections, such as pneumonia and bronchitis, according to the National Institutes of Health. The risk increases if they have pre-existing conditions such as a weakened immune system or heart disease.

DailyMailUK