Pope acknowledges criticism, health issues but says in upcoming memoir he has no plans to retire

By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis says he has no plans to resign and isn’t suffering from any health problems that would require doing so. The 87-year-old Francis made the comments in an autobiography, “Life: My Story Through History,” which is being published Tuesday, the 11th anniversary of his installation as pope. Extensive excerpts were published Thursday in the Italian daily Corriere della Sera. In the memoir, written with an Italian journalist, Francis traces key moments of his life and their intersection with world events, including World War II and Argentina’s military dictatorship. He says he still has “many projects to bring to fruition.”