WAVE OF DEVOTION: Pope Benedict bids a final farewell to his flock as the papal helicopter Shepherd 1 lifts off from the Vatican yesterday to take the 265th pontiff into retirement. (
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With bells tolling and the ceremonial departure of his guards, Benedict XVI yesterday became “pope emeritus” and the first pontiff in 600 years to resign.
After an emotional farewell at the Vatican, Benedict made his final remarks as leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics from the papal summer residence.
“I will not longer be pope but a simple pilgrim who is starting out on the last part of his pilgrimage,” the 85-year-old Benedict said from the balcony of Castel Gandolfo.
An hour later, bells rang out as the Swiss Guard, traditional protectors of popes, shut the huge wooden doors of the lakeside palazzo and marched out.
That turned over responsibility for Benedict’s safety to the Vatican police, and officially signaled the end of his eight-year papacy. In another symbolic gesture, the yellow-and-white Vatican flag bearing the papal insignia was lowered.
Many of the thousands of faithful who flocked to Castel Gandolfo were in tears as they shouted, “Viva il papa!” — “Long live the pope!.”
It was the end of an almost unprecedented day that began with Benedict’s final audience with his cardinals inside the Vatican’s Clementine Hall.
“Among you, among the College of Cardinals, is the future pope, to whom I pledge today unconditional reverence and obedience,” he said.
His words seemed to address concerns about confusion arising over the presence of both a new pope and the first-ever pope emeritus.
But Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said that cardinals traditionally pledge obedience to a newly elected pope inside the sealed Sistine Chapel after the election. Since Benedict will be at Castel Gandolfo instead, “he did it ahead of time,” Lombardi said.
Benedict also appeared to try to head off disagreements among the “princes of the church” after his departure. “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 said.
Timothy Cardinal Dolan said Benedict’s final meeting with the cardinals was “somber” and “sad,” but also very “touching.”
Before leaving the Vatican, Benedict also reached out to his 1.6 million Twitter followers with a final tweet: “Thank you for your love and support. May you always experience the joy that comes from putting Christ at the center of your lives.”
He boarded a white helicopter, dubbed “Shepherd 1,” for his flight to Castel Gandolfo. Bells rang out all over Rome as the helicopter circled Vatican City and flew over the Colosseum and other landmarks to give him one last view of the city.
Benedict’s resignation begins a period traditionally known as Sede Vacante (Empty Chair), when the cardinals fill the vacancy.
Many of the 115 cardinal electors who have already arrived at the Vatican will meet informally today to discuss when a conclave to choose Benedict’s successor will begin.
They are expected to set a date, most likely March 10 to March 15, on Monday.
Until a successor is elected, the Vatican’s secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, will run church affairs as chamberlain or “camerlengo.”
To underscore the vacancy, the doors to the papal apartments in the Vatican, as well as the private elevator to reach them, will be sealed and the papal Twitter account, @ pontifex, will be suspended.