Retirement rumours rife as Francis prays at first resigned pope’s tomb

DPARomeAmid speculation that Pope Francis could resign as head of the Catholic Church, the ageing pontiff prayed on Sunday at the tomb of the first pope to voluntarily resign.Just one day after appointing new cardinals that would play a role in selecting his successor, the 85-year-old religious leader visited the remains of Pope Celestine V in L’Aquila, Italy.Pope Benedict XVI also prayed at the same site in the Abruzzo region, just a few years before his resignation in 2013. Benedict’s visit and the placing of his badge of office at the tomb of Celestine V were later interpreted as a silent announcement of his resignation.Pope Francis, who has been increasingly limited to a wheelchair and plagued by knee problems, told reporters in July that he was not ruling out the option of retiring."I don’t think I can continue with the same rhythm of travel as before. Thinking of my age and my limitation, I have to take it easy,” he said at the time, noting that retirement was "a very normal option.” The pope arrived in L’Aquila by helicopter on Sunday morning, where he began by greeting bereaved families of victims of the devastating 2009 earthquake that killed just over 300 people.He also visited L’Aquila Cathedral, still closed because of earthquake damage, in a wheelchair."You have suffered much as a result of the earthquake and as a people you are trying to rise again,” Francis said at the subsequent Mass outside the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio, where the tomb of Celestine V lies.Francis had travelled to celebrate the Feast of Forgiveness, a tradition celebrated for hundreds of years and attended by thousands of pilgrims over several days.