Pope Benedict officially retired yesterday, after giving a farewell audience to 150,000 or more at St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday and then, yesterday, departed by helicopter to Castel Gandolfo, the papal retreat in the Alban Hills outside Rome. In a detail that speaks to the way we live now, the Pope sent out a final papal tweet (“Thank you for your …
Pope Resigns: Where Will Pope Benedict Live?
The Papal Palace Details about Pope Benedict’s transition to retirement are emerging. On February 28, the Pope will be helicoptered to Castel Gandolfo, the papal vacation and summer residence in the Alban Hills outside Rome. The site, a short train ride from Rome, is popular with pilgrims from around the world who on summer Sundays catch the 8:37 train …
An Insider Shares More on the Pope’s Resignation and What to Expect at the Vatican
As the world continues to absorb the enormity of Pope Benedict’s sudden resignation and the changes it might represent, one thing is certain: St. Peter’s Square will be teeming between now and Easter Sunday, as Pope Benedict winds down his papacy over the next two weeks and the Catholic Church selects and installs a new pope. Within hours of today’s …
Pope Resigns: Implications for Travel to Rome
Pope Benedict XVI stunned the world and resigned the papacy today, two days before Lent and seven weeks before Easter, the highest and holiest holiday in the Catholic Church. His resignation, effective February 28, is without modern precedent. The last pope to resign, Gregory XII, stepped down in nearly 600 years ago, in 1450. The official reason given was Pope …