A month ago, we put rumours of Pope Francis’ plans to retire on your radar. He’s now addressed them zucchetto-on, saying the idea “never entered my mind”. But the 85yo added that he would step down if he became physically unable to continue in the role. “When I see that I can’t do it, OK… I will do it in the great example of Pope Benedict,” he said. His predecessor stepped down in 2013 – he was the first Pope to relinquish the position since 1415. One of the things that had tongues wagging was a plan for a meeting with his cardinals in August – the same sort of meeting Benedict held with his crew to tell them he was off. But it’s onwards and upwards despite ongoing knee issues. Francis is heading to Canada later this month and says he wants to visit Russia and Ukraine after that to “try to help in some way”. Oh, and zucchetto? They are the skullcaps worn by Catholic clerics. Fun fact: it’s named for its resemblance to the humble pumpkin (‘zucca’ in Italian)…