Pope begins his annual retreat

February 18, 2013 - Pope Benedict XVI and officials of the various Vatican curia or departments began their weeklong annual spiritual retreat, Sunday evening. During this period until Saturday morning, Feb. 23, all of the Pope’s public appointments have been suspended, including his General Audience of Wednesday. Pope Benedict has chosen as his retreat preacher, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, who will reflect on the face of God and the face of man in the prayers of the Psalms. In one of his last tweets on the social microblogging network, Twitter, Pope Benedict on Sunday wrote: Lent is a favourable time in which to rediscover faith in God as the foundation of our lives and of the Church’s life.
Earlier, Saturday evening, Italy’s caretaker Prime Minister Mario Monti paid Pope Benedict a farewell courtesy visit. A Vatican statement described the meeting ‘particularly cordial and intense.’ Monti once more reiterated the affection of the Italian people for the Holy Father – for his high religious and moral standing and for his close understanding of the problems and hopes of Italy and Europe. Italian president Giorgio Napolitano is scheduled to pay a similar visit next Saturday, Feb. 23. The following day, Sunday, Pope Benedict will pray his last midday ‘Angelus’ as pontiff, and on Feb. 27, hold his final Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square. The next day he will take a helicopter to the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, southeast of Rome, flying into the history books. Vatican spokesman, Fr. Federico Lombardi said on Saturday, Pope Benedict would stay there for some two months, until end of April or the beginning of May, when the convent inside the Vatican where he intends to live out his retirement, is ready.