It’s official. Bennedict XVI is no longer the head of Catholic Church. His resignation has taken effect at 11 a.m. (PST).
Before a crowd of believers and onlookers at St. Peter’s Square, Benedict bid Vatican farewell before stepping in a helicopter that took him to a summer residence used by popes for centuries.
As the church bells rang, Romans stood on rooftops to wave flags to see him off as he flew from Rome to the summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, a hilltop town southeast of the city.
From a window at the residence, Benedict, draped in a red and gold mantle lined with snow-white ermine , addressed a the crowd of believers in the following words: “Dear friends, I am happy to be with you! Thanks for your friendship and affection! You know this is a different day than others.”
The end of the current papacy means that all the cardinals and archbishops in the curia, the bureaucracy of the Church, lose their jobs on Feb. 28. However, many cardinals expect they'll be asked to stay on in the next papacy. In the curia, which dates back to the Middle Ages, "continuity is an extremely high value."
Tomorrow (Friday) the call goes out to the world's 208 cardinals to head for the Holy See. As early as Monday, they may begin meeting in advisory groups. Their first task: set the date for the conclave when the new pope will be chosen.
Benedict is expected return to live behind the Vatican walls in two to three months time, in a monastery being readied for him.
Earlier Thursday, the Pope told 144 cardinals in Vatican City on Thursday that he will pledge to obey the next pontiff.
"Among you is also the future pope, whom I promise my unconditional reverence and obedience," Benedict said in his final audience.
Benedict surprised many on Feb. 11 when he announced that, feeling his age and diminishing strength, he would retire, a dramatic step that sent the Vatican hierarchy spinning.
