The rumour mill surrounding Pope Francis’ future will hardly have been calmed as the Pontiff returned from his “pilgrimage of penance” to Canada. Travelling back to Rome, the Pope told reporters he can no longer travel like he did because of knee problems, calling the visit “a bit of a test” which showed he needed to slow down and one day perhaps retire. While the Pope said he had not thought about resigning, he repeated a phrase - that “the door is open” – adding that there was nothing wrong with a Pope stepping down.