Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga has said media speculation that Pope Francis may step down is nothing more than “cheap soap opera”.

In an interview published in the Religious News Service, Maradiaga, who advises the pope, said reports suggesting Pope Francis’ physical decline would lead to a new conclave are “fake news”.

He added that these reports are mostly in the United States, where, he said, the pope faces “strong opposition.”

“He never thought about (resigning),” Maradiaga said in the interview with Spanish outlet EFE.

Speculation about a possible resignation has been mounting for months.

Pope Francis, according to the New York Post, had the left part of his colon removed during a three-hour surgery because his intestine had shrunk. Over the past month. For the past month, Francis has been using a cane and even a wheelchair because of knee pain

“When we are old, we cannot do the same things that we did when we were young: the body has a different rhythm, and we have to listen to the body and accept its limits,” he said during a speech in general audience last week. “We all have them. I too have to use a cane now.

Mark Heim is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim.