From the Washington Post:
Those who have visited Benedict since he abdicated say he has also tried to avoid fostering insurrection. Four years ago, after a hint that Francis might adopt a more relaxed stance on Communion for divorced Catholics, a small group of cardinals asked Benedict to intervene, according to the mainstream Italian daily La Repubblica. Benedict told them that he wasn’t the Pope and shouldn’t be involved — and afterward privately alerted Francis.
Marcello Pera, a friend of Benedict and former president of the Italian Senate, who co-wrote a book with Benedict, tells a similar story about the ex-pope’s unwillingness to talk about his successor’s moves. Pera said he visited Benedict shortly after Francis was elected and brought up his misgivings about the new pope — how he seemed more political and willing to tailor his teachings to a secular audience. “I am worried about the Church,” Pera said.
“The church is of Jesus Christ,” he remembers Benedict replying. “You shouldn’t be worried.”