Pope denies resignation rumours, hopes to visit Kyiv, Moscow

Rome: Pope Francis has dismissed rumours he plans to resign anytime soon and that he hopes to visit Moscow and Kyiv after travelling to Canada later this month.

Francis also told Reuters in an interview published on Monday that the idea "never entered my mind" to announce a planned retirement at the end of the summer, though he repeated he might step down some day as Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI did in 2013.

He revealed that his knee trouble, which has caused him to use a wheelchair for over a month, was caused by a "small fracture" that occurred when he stepped awkwardly while the knee ligament was inflamed.

He said it is "slowly getting better" with laser and magnet therapy.