Pope Francis Says There Should Be a 'Time Limit to Church Positions'

78-year-old Pope Francis said Friday at St. Peter's Square in Rome that he does not believe in the notion of "leaders for life" within the Catholic church, saying such a practice would be similar to a country dictatorship.

"Let's be clear. The only one who cannot be substituted in the Church is the Holy Spirit," Francis said Friday during an address in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.

"There should be a time limit to positions (in the Church), which in reality are positions of service," the pope continued at the rally held for inter-denominational Christians.

The pope went on to state that his argument does not apply only to clergy, adding: "It is convenient that all [positions] in the Church should have a time limit. There are no leaders for life in the Church. This occurs in some countries where a dictatorship exists."

The pope is preparing to visit South America at the end of this week, as well as the United States for the first time in September.

Jimmy Burns, a papal biographer, told The Guardian that the pope's visit to South America will be meaningful as he will be visiting poor areas in developing countries.

"It's a trip that falls in quite well with the papacy in the sense that he will be going to three countries with strong indigenous culture and a strong element of popular religiosity , which are two areas that Pope Francis empathises with," Burns said.