A Latin American cardinal has said he believes the Pope would have the courage to step down in the future if he felt that his health no longer allowed him to carry out his ministry.
"The Pope feels the responsibility of his ministry and the day in which he feels he can't go on, he will stop," said Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga.
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Pope John Paul II during his weekly audience in the Vatican audience hall earlier this month
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"I think he would have the courage to retire if reasons of health prohibit him from to carry out his ministry," he said.
The Pope, 82 later this week and suffering from Parkinson's Disease and mobility problems, said yesterday he wanted to "continue with loyalty in the ministry the Lord has given me".
He held a regular schedule of audiences today, receiving Chilean President Ricardo Lagos Escobar and four Ecuadoran bishops and addressing several hundred members of a missionary group.
The pontiff resumes his international travels next week after an eight-month pause with a trip to Azerbaijan and Bulgaria.
Popes usually reign for life but there is a provision in church law for a papal retirement.
The last pope to resign willingly was Celestine V, who stepped down in 1294. Gregory XII reluctantly abdicated in 1415 to end a dispute with a rival claimant to the Holy See.