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Subscribe to RSSThe first Pope in nearly 700 years to voluntarily step down, Pope Benedict spoke in front of his final audience Wednesday and will officially resign on Thursday at which point he will be known as pope emeritus. NBC's Anne Thompson reports.
A meeting with the red-clad “princes of the church.” A 10-minute helicopter ride to Castel Gandolfo. A quick wave from the balcony to throngs in a candlelit square.
That’s the script for Pope Benedict XVI’s final hours as spiritual leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Roman Catholics before his resignation becomes official at 8 p.m. Thursday -- ending an often rocky eight-year tenure and launching the church into a potentially contentious search for his replacement.
His farewell address has already happened – a speech Wednesday morning before a cheering crowd of more than 100,000 in front of St. Peter’s, where he acknowledged moments of great joy and difficulty and asked followers to pray for him in his retirement.
The spotlight will remain on Benedict, however, for at least another day before attention turns to the highly ritualized conclave that will choose his successor.
Alessandro Bianchi / Reuters
Cardinal Antonio Rouco Varela (3rd L) reacts while attending the last general audience of Pope Benedict XVI.
At 11 a.m. Thursday, Italian time, he is scheduled to meet the cardinals that have rushed to Rome for the historic event. Each will have the chance to say a few parting words to him, but a major speech is not expected.
The personal goodbyes will continue as he leaves the Apostolic Palace before 5 p.m. and is driven to the helipad, where Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, will see him off.
The 85-year-old pope knows how to fly a helicopter but presumably will rely on a pilot from the 13th Squadron of the Italian Air Force for the jaunt to the hilltop town where he will live in his summer residence for a few months while a monastery in the Vatican Gardens is prepared for him.
Town priests are planning a prayer vigil in Castel Gandolfo to begin a few hours before Benedict’s arrival, and he is likely to bestow a brief greeting on the thousands crammed into the town square, clutching rosaries and candles.
Once he leaves Rome, there will be only a few more hours in his papacy, which officially ends at the stroke of 8 p.m. Thursday. From that moment on, he will be known as pope emeritus, and aides say a life of quiet reflection will commence.
“I think we’ll probably catch some glimpses of him walking in the garden,” Vatican spokesman Greg Burke told NBC’s TODAY. “He’s not the kind of guy who is going on a book tour.”
At the Vatican, the Swiss Guards will go off duty – and the cardinals will be officially called back to work the next day with a formal announcement of what’s called the sede vacante, Latin for "the seat being vacant."
A Vatican spokesman told the Catholic News Service the college will probably not meet over the weekend but could gather the following Monday for informal talks to set a date for the conclave and begin talking about priorities for 266th pope.
Under old church law, the conclave couldn’t start until March 15, but an amendment this week will allow the cardinals to push up the date as along as all 115 electors are in place. There were supposed to be 117, but one is too sick to attend and another recused himself after being accused of inappropriate behavior with priests.
And, of course, the Vatican guesthouse where the cardinals will stay during the conclave must be swept for listening devices before they can move in for the duration.
The length of the conclave — with its four secret ballots a day, cast in the Sistine Chapel — is anyone's guess; it took just two days to elect Benedict and three to choose his predecessor, John Paul II.
Vatican watchers say there is no clear front-runner and Benedict's legacy will loom large as they look to the future.
An introverted theologian, he is credited with pushing the "new evangelization" and repairing rifts with Jews but faulted for not taking stronger action as a sex-abuse scandal tarnished the church's reputation and letting the Vatican bureaucracy run amok.
He alluded to the crises during Wednesday's address, saying he had often felt like "St. Peter with the Apostles in the boat on the Sea of Galilee."
"The Lord has given us many days of sunshine and gentle breeze, days in which the catch has been abundant," he said. "[But] there have been times when the seas were rough and the wind against us, as in the whole history of the Church it has ever been — and the Lord seemed to sleep."
Gabriel Bouys / AFP - Getty Images
The pope delivers his final audience in St. Peter's Square as he prepares to stand down.
Related:
Pope Benedict tells cheering crowd: I am not abandoning the church
Papal historian: Cardinals likely to choose an 'extrovert'
'Amateur hour': Vatican conclave drama is one for the history books, experts say
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Enough already of this so called news. I'm personally getting tired of hearing it.
I am trying to understand your statement here and why you would further waste your time responding to something that is annoying to you. I think that getting a job and moving out of your parent's basement in order for you to be able to choose your own television and internet programming is a great start! It's certainly better news than some psycho killing people and kids, this is news my friend and I for one wish to hear it. God Bless and be well in all things!
A man who wears dresses, red shoes and pointy hats is leaving public life.
I would think gay bashers everywhere would be happy over this.
It wasn't the Lord who was asleep at the wheel. It was someone else. I really hope cardinals choose someone who understands the 21st Century.
Hot news from the world's largest religious cult...Nothing more than political transubstantiation.
Motz in KC,,,, it was the cardinals that chose this man. They will choose the next one also.
Then stop reading it.
Yes it's getting old...go already...
Note to editor: It's not holy. It's just a spectacle. That's what the RCC is about.
Hopefully the helicopter will crash, and the pilot will survive.
You obviously are in need of professional help to wish terrible things on people you've never even met!
Hope that pedophile protector dies in the most painful way possible.
To propose death is heinous. Based on the hundreds of years of the Vatican protecting the rapists within the church......there must not be a hell.
Prior to becoming Pop, Ratzinger was the one where all the molester reports ended up and he put a cork on all punishments.
Better he live with his conscience until his natural death.
I feel sorry for you.
Tom, sounds like you're already dead. I'll pray for your soul.
Some of you people are real dicks!
Praying..... now thats a waste of time right there
"Better he live with his conscience until his natural death."
That's assuming the sick f*ck HAS a conscience!
But wouldnt be something coincedental if it was a person of color selected to be the next Pope??? Im jus sayin...
They should appoint a nun.
They rarely elect non-Italians... John Paul II and BenedictXVI were definitely out of character... I would expect to see a Latin-American Pope before seeing an African Pope... but, you never know. The times are changing...
What does color have to do with it?
Dear Montgomery Tubercle,
Please stop using the phrase "I'm just saying" or any form of it.
Signed,
- The Internet
Black Pope?? Blame The POTUS.
Montgomery --- --- --- As I'm sure you well know, the POTUS doesn't get a vote.
I don't think they realize that. Their username pretty much says it all.
I wonder how many people in America think that because the word Ciao and Scio sound the same that such words are connected together as being the same thing making them feel like they are all important and self centrificating.
Not even wrong.
Notice that CIA is also part of the word Ciao. So what does that mean Scio?
Say goodbye to yourself because the CIA is coming through with two small agents on a train with a large light shining right down on top of you.
Scio the cats meow.
I'd stay away from people with the name Todd as their real meaning is That Old Draconian Devil switching up words to make things sound and seem the same as a singular meaning when in fact they suffer from...Pandorum.
Heh heh heh.
Yup, they are busy cleaning his room at the moment. Getting rid of the dirty laundry and any skeletons which may still be in the closet.
Who cares?!!! Just leave! You Christians make me want to puke! Not ONE word in your Bible that makes this dude holy! You people are all a bunch of idiots who need a nursemaid pope! No wonder? WOW! SAD! Think!!!!!!!
for USA/no party.sorry hes not christian/but a Catholic.and just might want to puke you.thks 2012
Ummm...excuse me, but Catholics ARE Christian... as a matter of fact, RCC was the first Christian denomination...
Catholicism is the largest sect of Christianity in the world. It's understandable why some christians want to distance themselves from the catholic church though!
Your Vatican is worth 9,000,000,000.00! What would your Jesus think about that you idiot hypocrites! You were born with a brain and you haven't learned a thing! Use it! A bunch of lemmings following the pied piper! Damn!
Mind your dirty mouth.
hipvet << >> You said, "You were born with a brain and you haven't learned a thing." What about YOU ??? Presumably, you also was born with a brain, but you follow every great and little criticism of the CC without bothering to check it out for yourself for good or bad.
Well, of course, Jesus wanted mega churches and cults... :)
Not all christians believe the pope is holy. Otherwords not all of us are dumb and stupid.
for usa/no party.hes catholic and not a christian.they have diff believes.thks 2012
I don't know the ones 200,000 deep waiving flags, crying and cheering...WOW how CAN they do it with so much slime?
You may not all be dumb and stupid, but Christians sure as hell have been digging yourselves a hole for the past few decades.
And when will the big scandal be revealed..
The pope looked just fine today. I have seen them more tired.
Pardon me. Catholics! Your priests have done more to destroy lives than is imaginable! Yet you all go to mass. Mass child molestation, covered up by the entire church?. Sickening!
for USA/no party.your 100% right.but don't stop here.all religion's have failed the people.not just this fool.
HipVet go away.
But they want to play bingo.
hipvet --- --- --- Does that include the hundreds of Catholic priests who died in the Holocaust, mostly for hiding Jews???
@ Matilda Tuscany
Ummm . . .not sure where you got your world history, but it was the Catholics (e.g. Hitler) that were shoving Jews into the gas chambers and ovens. And let's not forget Hitler's special relationship with Rome.
Captain Jack Wigal ~~~~~~~~~~~ >> >> >> Hitler was a born catholic, but he was milquatoast at best, till right after WW I when he walked out of mass because the priest counseled the congregation to forgive the Allies. After Hitler's election, but before the Holocaust and the war, Cardinal Pacelli (Pope Pius XII) was appointed apostalic delegate (not sure of his exact title, but I got it approximately right) to Germany. Thus, the Pope and Hitler had a public relation as a result of their positions. During the war---by that time, Pacelli had become pope---Pope Pius XII saved more Jews and other victims from the Nazis than any other individual or group COMBINED. In fairness to the other heros, the pope, as pope, had more resources and thousands to help him than the others did. But, that does not change the fact that he DID save a huge number of Jews and others. In order to do so, he had to continue to not publicly denounce Hitler. During all this time, he stayed in the Vatican where Hitler could have collared him at any time and certainly would have, had he known of the pope's massive rescue operation. BTW, at this time, Pius XII resigned the papacity---sort of !!! He had drafted and signed a resignation, and left it in the care of those who had been instructed to publish it in the event of his arrest so that the Nazis, had they arrested him, would have found themselves with NO POPE, but simply a priest on thier hands. Remember how vengeful Hitler was! Would he have looked with kindness on this move of Pacelli/Pope Pius XII? Pope Pius XII was, physically, not an imposing man, but he had balls which would have put Hitler to shame.
It is very, very sickening. One of my parents was molested at a Catholic high school by a principal/priest/whatever they call the head guy at the school. This was in a small town. If it happened there, to one of my family members, I can't imagine what else went on in other areas of the country. And people wonder why religion is crumbling... Gee, I wonder...
WWJD?
for usa/no party.cool.hell awaits him and his followers.thks 2012
2012 --- You may be right! You may be wrong! However, judgment is up to God. Not you! My authority~~~ Jesus. "Judge not, lest you be judged.
Sorry! "Judge not, lest you be judged."
Ciao and we will protect you within the walls for the rest of your days! One F'd up religion, maybe?
Isn't it funny how the truth shuts mouths!
I will pray for you.
Pray for what? That someone on the internet has the same opinion as you...pretty selfish if you ask me!
hipvet --- Except yours !!!
How many poor people could be fed with 9 Billion dollars? WWJD?
HipVet how many poor people could be fed from Obama and his wife giving up traveling day and night?
Well then how many people could have been fed by Romney giving it up? A whole lot more than Obama....not much of a thorough thinker are ya?
Farewell, irrelevant old man, and to your increasingly irrelevant
"church"cult, too. Don't let the golden doors hit you on the way out.Oh, wait, you'll be sequestered for life in the Vatican!
Enjoy your sentence. Perhaps you'll get a room with a window... but I hope not.
Glad to see you get it! gcooper8
I feel sorry for you.You are a nasty atheist.
Ooh nasty! Its just the internet there, so serious we are
What would you do? That is the question.
HipVet you are a sad and nasty minded man.
Good riddance. Just leave his papal seat empty. There's simply no need to fill it.
I pray that you ( the pope ) will tell the world the truth about the flawed inside investigation into the church's still on going sex abuse.
BETTER YET LET THE POLICE INVESTIGATE or SOME INDEPENDENT BODY!!!!!
COME CLEAN!!!!!
You owe it to the world!!!! SPEAK TO YOUR PEOPLE!!!! COME OUT OF THE VATICAN CLOSET!!!
JESUS would tell us THE TRUTH.... JESUS doesn't hide anything from us..... DO IT FOR YOUR SELF !!!
DON"T HIDE BEHIND THE VATICAN CURTAINS!!!
When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I hide my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
I am not listening.
Your hands are full of blood! VATICAN!!!
See the new boss. Same as the old boss.
hipvet <<<~~~>>> The next pope has not even been selected, yet. But, you are already judging him.
As far as Popes go he seems like a good guy. I am not Catholic as you probably surmised.
Who do the priests confess to? Certainly not the cops!
I dont think there's any doubt that this pope was standing in the way of the homosexual agenda. Its too bad, I thought he was better than the others Ive seen except for the one that was murdered.
Do you expect the pope to embrace homosexuality?
Who cares about the Head Pedophile or whomever his pedophilic successor is.
Right every priest is a pedophile i saw it on tv. What are you just sexually confused