Pope Benedict’s pontificate becomes part of history

March 01, 2013 - Pope Benedict XVI ended his nearly 8-year pontificate Thursday evening, becoming history’s first Pontiff in nearly six centuries to have resigned instead of reigning until death. As he had formally declared on Feb. 11, his pontificate came to an end at 08.00 pm local time (07.00pm UTC) at the papal summer residence in the hill town of Castel Gandolfo, southeast of Rome, where he had flown by helicopter from Vatican City some three hours earlier. As bells tolled, two Swiss Guards standing at attention at the papal palace in Castel Gandolfo shut the thick wooden doors shortly after 8 p.m., symbolizing the end of a papacy. Three members of the Corps of the Gendarmerie, or the Vatican police force, immediately took over from the Swiss Guards. A Vatican official was then seen taking down the Holy See's white and yellow flag from the Castel Gandolfo residence. Emeritus Pope Benedict will spend a couple of months of his retirement at the papal resort until his residence inside Vatican City is ready.
Earlier, after Pope Benedict arrived at Castel Gandolfo on Thursday after an emotional farewell in Vatican City, he appeared at the topmost balcony of the papal palace overlooking the town’s main Square, jammed with well-wishers, many shouting “Viva il Papa!”' (Long live the pope!) and wildly waving the yellow and white flags of the Vatican. “You know that today is different from others… as of eight pm I will no longer be the Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church. I will simply be a pilgrim who is beginning the last part of his pilgrimage on earth,” the Holy Father told the cheering crowd in his final public words as the spiritual leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics. He also imparted his apostolic blessing for the last time as Pope.