Since leaving office, Pataki and his wife spend as much time as they can at their farm in the Adirondack Mountains. He's still playing sports, like basketball, and watching them; he calls himself a long-suffering Jets fan. And he still appears on the political stage. He says: "I do want to try to help out with advancing policies that are right for the future of the country."

As for the pope, a Vatican spokesman says he will likely retire to a monastery, where he will spend his time focused on prayer and reflection.