POPE EMERITUS: His last moments at the Vatican

AT exactly 5.07 p.m., yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI now pope emeritus, amid cheers from thousands of Catholic faithful, left the palace of the Papacy for the last time as pontiff.

He headed for the helipad at the top of the hill in the Vatican gardens and flew for 15 minutes before riding in a motorcade to the papal retreat at Castel Gandolfo South of Rome in a 30-minute journey to begin his retirement. He had led 1.2 billion Catholics for seven years, 10 months and nine days, which is close to the average length of the 264 popes before him.

The 85-year old Benedict, who became the first Pope in 598 years to step down as head of the Catholic Church left the Vatican after greeting his staff for the final time. The ancient bell of the SenatorialPalace of the Capitol – Rome city hall – rang out as he left the papacy.

First assignment at Castel Gandolfo: Shortly after arriving at Castel Gandolfo, Benedict came out onto the balcony and waved feebly, saying ‘thank you, thank you’ to bid goodbye to rapturous and flag-waving local townspeople before retreating from the public eye.


Pope Benedict XVI (POPE EMERITUS)
The Swiss Guards closed the doors of Castel Gandolfo and quit their posts at exactly 7 pm as Benedict’s eight-year papacy formally ended at 8pm, when the Swiss Guards who protected the pontiff marched away from the doors of the 17th century palazzo, leaving the task to the Vatican Gendarmerie.

His last tweet: At 4 pm, the Pope tweeted for the final time at the @pontifex account, writing: “Thank you for your love and support. May you always experience the joy that comes from putting Christ at the centre of your lives.”

Promise unconditional reverence and obedience to successor: In a poignant and powerful farewell delivered hours before his departure, Pope Benedict, yesterday, assured cardinals of his “unconditional reverence and obedience” to his successor.

In an unexpected speech inside the Vatican’s frescoed Clementine Hall, the pontiff appeared to be trying to defuse concerns about possible conflicts arising from the peculiar situation of having both a reigning pope and a retired one. He also gave a final set of instructions to the “princes” of the church who will elect his successor, urging them to be united as they congregate to choose the 266th leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics.

“May the College of Cardinals work like an orchestra, where diversity – an expression of the universal church – always works toward a higher and harmonious agreement,” he urged.

It was seen as a clear reference to the deep internal divisions that have come to the fore in recent months following the leaks of sensitive Vatican documents that exposed power struggles and allegations of corruption inside the Vatican.

The moment was as unique as Benedict’s decision to quit about two weeks ago, with the 85-year-old pope, wearing his crimson velvet cape and using a cane, bidding farewell to his closest advisers and the cardinals themselves bowing to kiss his fisherman’s ring for the last time.

Some seemed to choke up at that moment, but the scene seemed otherwise almost normal, with cardinals chatting on the sidelines waiting their turn to say goodbye. Benedict said he would pray for the cardinals in coming days as they discuss the issues facing the church, the qualities needed in a new pope and prepare to enter into the secret conclave to elect him.

“Among you is also the future pope, whom I today promise my unconditional reverence and obedience,” Benedict said in his final audience. Benedict’s decision to live at the Vatican in retirement, be called “emeritus pope” and “Your Holiness” and to wear the white cassock associated with the papacy has deepened concerns about the shadow he might cast over the next papacy.

But Benedict has tried to address those worries over the past two weeks, saying that once retired he would be “hidden from the world” and living a life of prayer. In his final speech in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, he said he wasn’t returning to private life exactly, but rather to a new form of service to the church through prayer. And on Monday, the cardinals are expected to begin meeting to set the date for the conclave.

Some statistics on Benedict’s papacy: During his pontificate, Benedict made 30 trips throughout Italy and 24 trips abroad, three to his native Germany, for a total of more than 160,000 km travelled

He wrote three encyclicals: Deus Caritas Est (God is Love) in 2006, Spe Salvi (In hope we were saved) in 2007 and Caritas in Veritate (Love in Truth) in 2009.

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