Pope Francis

Vatican City: Pope Francis has said that it shouldn't be a "fashion" for pontiffs to step down instead of ruling for life in the Roman Catholic Church. Instead, it should only happen in very rare cases. Francis said these things in private conversations with other Jesuits during his recent trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo. This was a change from what he had said before, when he said that longer life spans and better medical care could make retired popes a Church tradition. Father Antonio Spadaro, a Jesuit priest who lives in Rome and goes to the meetings and writes about them afterward with the pope's permission, said these things in an article for the La Stampa newspaper on Thursday. On February 2 in Kinshasa, Pope Francis was asked about rumours in the media that he might step down. He said again what he had said in December to a Spanish newspaper: that a few months after being elected in 2013, he gave a Vatican official a letter of resignation to be used if he ever got a serious illness that would leave him permanently unconscious and unable to make decisions. "This doesn't mean, though, that retiring popes should become, let's say, a trend or an everyday thing," he said. "I think the job of the pope should be for life. I don't see why it shouldn't be this way...historical tradition is important. If we instead listened to rumours, we'd have to choose a new pope every six months "he said. Pope Benedict resigned in 2013 because of his poor physical and mental health. He was the first pope to step down in 600 years. He lived for almost 10 more years, and top aides say he was still clear-headed up until a few days before he died on December 31, 2018. Benedict kept writing and had visitors, who sometimes told others what he said. This helped a group of conservative, nostalgic Catholics who didn't like Francis being pope. One of the most divisive times in modern Church history was when he was pope emeritus for almost 10 years. Francis often said that having Benedict live in the Vatican was like having a grandfather in the house. However, a book written by Benedict's closest aide showed that there were problems when the two men in white lived in the small city-state. Francis's tone when talking to the African Jesuits was very different from what he had used in the past when talking about how popes, including himself, might step down. Francis said that he had to slow down "or decide to step aside" when he got back from Canada last July. He said that his age and health problems, such as a knee problem that forces him to use a cane and a wheelchair, made him realise that he had to do this. In August, he said that popes who step down show humility. Also read: Switzerland Seeks To Seize $140 Million Linked To Ukraine Ex-President Francis said in 2014 that Benedict's resignation the year before shouldn't be seen as "a unique case" and that by stepping down, Benedict had become "an institution who opened a door, the door of emeritus popes." Francis told the African Jesuits this month that his own resignation because of his health "is not on my agenda right now."