Pope Francis reveals he twice refused to become a bishop

Monday, February 20th, 2023

Pope Francis revealed to Jesuits working in Congo that he twice refused to become a bishop.

He said he took seriously the promise he made with all Jesuits to not seek offices of authority and power in the church.

Francis met with Jesuits in Congo and in South Sudan during his visit to the two countries in late January-early February this year.

As he customarily does on his foreign visits, Pope Francis invited his brother Jesuits to ask him questions freely.

The pope was asked why he accepted becoming a bishop in Argentina when he had made the promise not to.

Pope Francis explained that he had refused when asked to become bishop of San Miguel and again when asked to become bishop of a diocese in the northern province of Corrientes.

“The papal nuncio, to encourage me to accept, told me that there were the ruins of the Jesuit past there,” the pope told the Jesuits.

“I replied that I did not want to be the guardian of ruins, and I refused.”

Nevertheless, in May 1992, he accepted his appointment as auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, after the nuncio presented him with a letter from the Jesuit superior general saying he could accept.

When he accepted the appointment to Buenos Aires, he said, he did so “in a spirit of obedience”.

Now that he is pope and makes those appointments, Francis said his preference is to choose someone who is not a Jesuit, but the greater good of the church always prevails.

Resignation letter

The pope also commented on a recent revelation that he had prepared a letter of resignation in case he became too ill or infirm to carry out the duties of the papacy.

Two months after his election, he wrote the letter and delivered it to Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, but he is unsure of the letter’s current location.

However, Pope Francis said that resigning popes should not become a common occurrence, and he believes the pope’s ministry is “ad vitam” (for life).

When asked if he was considering resignation, he replied, “No, it has not crossed my mind.”