Pope Francis to limit his foreign visits due to health issues but still plans to visit Kyiv

On his return from the trip to Canada, the Catholic Church chief, Pope Francis, commented on his plans to visit Ukraine in the future:

"I have said that I would like to go to Ukraine. Let's see now what I find when I get home. For the moment, I would like to go to Kazakhstan. That wouldn't be too rigorous of a journey. There wouldn't be a lot of movement. There is a congress of religions. But for the moment, everything remains as is," the Pontifex told Vatican News asked about his plans to visit Ukraine.

The Catholic Church leader also mentioned his plans to visit South Sudan and Congo, but stressed, "I have all the goodwill in the world, but let's see what my leg says," referring to his health issues. Pope Francis acknowledged that his ailing health may force him to retire early as Pontifex after he struggled with a week-long Canadian pilgrimage because of strained knee ligaments.