PAPA BENEDICT AAGA VATICAN LEO


Pope Benedict XVI greeted crowds outside the palace at Castel Gandalfo in his final public appearance as pontiff
Pope Benedict XVI greeted crowds outside the palace at Castel Gandalfo in his final public appearance as pontiff
A crimson banner bearing the papal seal was draped over the palace balcony as Benedict told crowds he was 'simply a pilgrim about to start his last journey on Earth'
A crimson banner bearing the papal seal was draped over the palace balcony as Benedict told crowds he was 'simply a pilgrim about to start his last journey on Earth'

Benedict turned away from the crowds at Castel Gandolfo to pass the last two hours of his papacy within the palace
Benedict turned away from the crowds at Castel Gandolfo to pass the last two hours of his papacy within the palace
The helicopter with Pope Benedict XVI aboard flies past St Peter's Square today as he left the Vatican
The helicopter with Pope Benedict XVI aboard flies past St Peter's Square today as he left the Vatican

The helicopter carrying Benedict circled over St Peter's Basilica before heading south towards Castel Gandolfo
The helicopter carrying Benedict circled over St Peter's Basilica before heading south towards Castel Gandolfo
The small figure of Benedict XVI could be seen waving to crowds gathered on rooftops around Rome as his helicopter took off
The small figure of Benedict XVI could be seen waving to crowds gathered on rooftops around Rome as his helicopter took off

The Italian Air Force helicopter flew over St Peter's square as it began its short journey, flying over crowds gathered round large television screens
The Italian Air Force helicopter flew over St Peter's square as it began its short journey, flying over crowds gathered round large television screens
Benedict boarded an Italian Air Force helicopter in the Vatican Gardens for the 15 minute journey to Castel Gandolfo
Benedict boarded an Italian Air Force helicopter in the Vatican Gardens for the 15 minute journey to Castel Gandolfo

The pontiff was driven away in a black Mercedes under police escort to a helipad in the Vatican Gardens.
He chose to leave the Vatican by a white helicopter for the 15 minute flight to Castel Gandalfo instead of the half-hour car journey through the streets of Rome.
Benedict boarded the Italian Air Force helicopter accompanied by members of the papal household, with three hours left of his reign.
As the helicopter took flight, Swiss Guards appeared at the gates of the Apostolic Palace in Castel Gandalfo, where he made a final appearance around 5pm GMT.
Earlier, aides were seen draping a crimson banner emblazoned with his seal over the palace's balcony ahead of his arrival.
Onlookers gathered on rooftops and around large television screens in St Peter's Square as the bells of St Peter's Basilica peeled to mark his departure - usually reserved for the death of the pontiff.

Earlier, Benedict began the final day of his pontificate by greeting his cardinals for the last time.
 
The outgoing pontiff pledged his 'unconditional obedience' to his successor and urged cardinals to work together 'like an orchestra' so 'agreement and harmony' can be reached despite deep internal divisions.
Addressing the cardinals in the Vatican's Clementine Hall at the Apostolic Palace, Benedict said: 'I will continue to be close to you in prayer, especially in the next few days...as you elect the new pope to whom I today declare my unconditional reverence and obedience.
'In these past eight years we have lived with faith beautiful moments of radiant light in the path of the Church as well as moments when some clouds darkened the sky.



'We tried to serve Christ and his Church.'
Benedict told the cardinals: 'Among you there is also the future pope to whom I promise my unconditional obedience and reverence.
'The Church is a living being,' he added, but it 'also remains always the same'.
He is due to spend two months at the retreat, where his predecessor John Paul II installed a swimming pool, while workers renovate permanent lodgings in a convent inside the Vatican.
Benedict emerged from his private apartments to a crowd of senior clergy and staff before being driven away to the helipad
Benedict emerged from his private apartments to a crowd of senior clergy and staff before being driven away to the helipad

Benedict's apartment will be sealed at 7pm GMT and his papal ring and seal destroyed
Benedict's apartment will be sealed at 7pm GMT and his papal ring and seal destroyed
Staff and clergy gathered in the San Damaso courtyard of the Apostolic Palace to say goodbye to the pontiff
Staff and clergy gathered in the San Damaso courtyard of the Apostolic Palace to say goodbye to the pontiff

Today, residents in the town hung inflatable balloons out of a window in preparation for his arrival, spelling out the Italian for: 'Thank you Benedict, we are all with you'.
Despite his resignation, Benedict will continue to wear the white cassock of the papacy but must give up the distinctive red leather Prada shoes for a pair of brown loafers.
His decision to live at the Vatican in retirement, be called 'Your Holiness' and to wear the white cassock has deepened concerns about the shadow he will cast over the next papacy.
But the former Cardinal Ratzinger has said that he plans to live out a life of prayer and meditation while 'hidden to the world'.
Some Church scholars worry that if the next pope undoes some of Benedict's policies while his predecessor is still alive, Benedict could act as a lightning rod for conservatives and polarise the Church.
With the election of the next pope taking place in the wake of sexual abuse scandals, leaks of his private papers by his butler, falling membership and demands for a greater role for women, many in the Church believe it would benefit from a fresh face from a non-European country.
The @Pontifex Twitter account sent its final tweet as the papal motorcade left the Apostolic Palace before 4pm GMT
The @Pontifex Twitter account sent its final tweet as the papal motorcade left the Apostolic Palace before 4pm GMT
Pope Benedict XVI delivered his plea for unity during his farewell meeting to cardinals
Pope Benedict XVI delivered his plea for unity during his farewell meeting to cardinals

Pope Benedict XVI urged the cardinals to work in unity and promised his 'unconditional reverence and obedience' to his successor today
Pope Benedict XVI urged the cardinals to work in unity and promised his 'unconditional reverence and obedience' to his successor today

The cardinals gathered in the Vatican's Clementine Hall to hear Benedict's final address this morning
The cardinals gathered in the Vatican's Clementine Hall to hear Benedict's final address this morning

The Pope's final day at the Vatican began with an assembly of his cardinals before he leaves for the papal retreat later today
The Pope's final day at the Vatican began with an assembly of his cardinals before he leaves for the papal retreat later today
During the farewell gathering, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the dean of the cardinals, thanked Benedict for his service.
After the speech, cardinals bowed to kiss his fisherman's ring for the last time before the ring and the papal seal are destroyed tonight.
Some seemed to choke up at that moment while other cardinals chatted while waiting for their turn.
At 7pm GMT, he will become the first pontiff in 600 years to resign. The doors of the palazzo in Castel Gandolfo will close and the Swiss Guards in attendance will go off duty, their service protecting the head of the world's 1.2billion Catholics over - for now. 
Benedict, soon to be known as pope emeritus, will be left in the care of his butler, two secretaries and four memores, the laywomen who care for him.
A number of cardinals from the developing world, including Ghanaian Peter Turkson and Antonio Tagle of the Philippines are two names often mentioned as leading candidates from the developing world who listen more.
'At the past two conclaves, the cardinals elected the smartest man in the room,' said Father Tom Resse, a historian and senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University.
'Now, it may be time to choose a man who will listen to all the other smart people in the Church.'
Yesterday, in his final public address at St Peter's Square, Benedict told a 200,000-strong crowd that in recent years God had seemed to him ‘to be sleeping’.
His papacy of almost eight years has been marred by child-abuse scandals and, more recently, the leaking of private documents by his personal butler.
He leaves his successor a top secret report on rivalries and scandals within the Curia, the Vatican departments which govern the global Church, prompted by leaks of internal files last year that documented the problems hidden behind the Vatican's thick walls and the Church's traditional secrecy.
Pope Benedict XVI told cardinals that they should work in harmony to elect his successor during a farewell ceremony in the Clementine Hall of the Vatican's Apostolic Palace today
Pope Benedict XVI told cardinals that they should work in harmony to elect his successor during a farewell ceremony in the Clementine Hall of the Vatican's Apostolic Palace today

Benedict appeared to be trying to defuse concerns about having a retired pope at the same time as a serving pope during his speech
Benedict appeared to be trying to defuse concerns about having a retired pope at the same time as a serving pope during his speech
Benedict told yesterday's crowd that he understood the seriousness and 'novelty' of his decision to become the first pope to resign in 600 years but said he had done it for the 'good of the Church'.
He said: 'I took this step in full awareness of its gravity and rarity but also with profound serenity of spirit.'
He said he was not 'coming down from the cross' despite renouncing his office but would remain in the service of the church through prayer. He asked the crowd to pray for the cardinals and his successor.
The 266th pope will be elected by the College of Cardinals, which is expected to meet soon to set a date for the next conclave to begin.
The Vatican seems to be aiming for an election by mid-March so the new pope can be installed in office before Palm Sunday on March 24 and lead the Holy Week services that culminate in Easter on the following Sunday.
In all, 115 cardinals under the age of 80 are expected in Rome for the conclave to vote on who should become the next pope.
Benedict gave the cardinals the go-ahead to move up the start date of the conclave on Monday, abolishing the traditional 15-day waiting period.
Britain's Roman Catholics will not be represented at this conclave after the resignation of Cardinal Keith O'Brien this week, amid accusations of inappropriate behaviour.
Inflatable letters hung from a building in Castel Gandolfo spelled out 'Thank You Benedict, we are all with you' today as the town prepared to welcome the outgoing pontiff to his retreat
Inflatable letters hung from a building in Castel Gandolfo spelled out 'Thank You Benedict, we are all with you' today as the town prepared to welcome the outgoing pontiff to his retreat

The Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo will host Benedict for two months while his new home in the Vatican is renovated
The Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo will host Benedict for two months while his new home in the Vatican is renovated

Cardinal O'Brien was ordered to step down immediately by the pope, rather than his 75th birthday next month as planned.
He is contesting the claims, made in the Observer newspaper.
It was the first time a cardinal has recused himself from a conclave because of personal scandal, according to Vatican historians.
No clear front-runner has emerged as a successor to the Bishop of Rome vacancy.
Cardinals from around the world who are eligible to vote will be locked away to cast ballots in secret in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel.
Anyone who leaks information about the election process will be automatically excommunicated from the Church.
Before the conclave starts, cardinals are expected to take part in general congregations and pre-conclave meetings where they discuss the qualities needed in a future leader.
Speculation is mounting that the cardinals could choose to back a candidate from the developing world - either Africa, Latin America, or Asia - which have the largest Catholic populations.
But it is unclear whether a cardinal from any of these continents would be able to command the necessary two thirds majority.
By country, Italian cardinals make up the biggest group of electors, at 28 votes and by continent, Europe is dominant with 62 electors.
There has not been an Italian pope since John Paul I died in 1978 and some commentators believe that the papacy could well revert back after the reigns of John Paul II, from Poland, and German-born Benedict.
Michael Walsh, a Vatican expert and historian who revised the latest edition of the Oxford Dictionary of Popes, said he believed the papacy could return to an Italian.
He said Pope Benedict's choice of Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi to lead the Vatican's Lenten spiritual retreat this year was 'significant' as this was viewed as a papal favour.
Mr Walsh said that John Paul II, then known as Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, was chosen for the same task before going on to become pope.
'Clearly there is a lot of pressure from around the church for somebody from Africa or Latin America,' he said.
'The question is - who is it going to be?
'The only names being regularly mentioned are Cardinal Peter Turkson from Ghana and Cardinal Odilo Scherer from Brazil.
'I think what they may very well do is go back to an Italian.
'The Italians are a very large contingent.

THE FRONTRUNNERS TO SUCCEED

Cardinal Marc Ouellet, 68, the Canadian head of the Vatican's office for bishops

Archbishop of Quebec between 2003 and 2010. He is known as a strong defender of orthodoxy and is said to come from the same school of theological thought as Benedict.

Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, 70, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture

A former academic theologian and Biblical scholar noted for his work encouraging dialogue between believers and non-believers and his 'outreach' to science. He was chosen this year by Benedict to lead the Vatican's Lenten spiritual retreat - a papal favour which could mark him out as a frontrunner.

Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, 69, an Argentinian and prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches

A 'consummate' Vatican insider and viewed as a pair of 'safe hands', he announced Pope John Paul II's death to the world in April 2005. His experience is said to have given him a special understanding of the experience of Christians in the Middle East including the plight of the Christian population in Iraq following the war in 2003.

Cardinal Odilo Scherer, 63, Archbishop of Sao Paulo in Brazil

Head of the largest diocese in the world's largest Catholic country. He spent several years working at the congregation for bishops at the Vatican. The German-Brazilian is seen as the strongest Latin American candidate.

Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, 68, Archbishop of Vienna

An intellectual and a scholar who studied under Pope Benedict and is close to the outgoing pope. He is dealing with a rebellion in Austria by Catholics who are calling for reform of the Church in areas such as priestly celibacy and the role of women. The cardinals may not want to elect two German-speaking popes in a row.

Cardinal Angelo Scola, 71, Archbishop of Milan

Cardinal Scola was said to have been 'papabile' - a possible contender for pope - during the conclave to replace Pope John Paul II in 2005, and is an influential philosopher and theologian. He is a member of the powerful Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith responsible for ensuring Catholic orthodoxy.

Cardinal Luis Tagle, 55, Archbishop of Manila, Philippines

Described by Vatican commentator John Allen as a 'genuine intellectual with a common touch'. He is seen as an outside chance because he is considered too young. If elected he could be pope for more than 30 years.

Cardinal Peter Turkson, 64, from Ghana, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

Cardinal Turkson is a popular figure and would be the first pope from Africa since Gelasius I more than 1,500 years ago. But the department he heads is not powerful and he has raised eyebrows by his willingness to discuss his chances of becoming pope. He is also seen by some as being gaffe-prone.

'They are more likely than most to operate as a bloc, because they know one another.
'Most of the 28 are cardinals in the curia and they know one another.'
Mr Walsh said he backed a return to a more collegial style of governing the Church with less power centralised in the hands of the curia.
'I believe there ought to be an Italian pope because I believe we ought to cut down on the power of the Vatican,' he said.
'It ought to return to being a Bishop of Rome and if there is a return to the Bishop of Rome then it ought to be an Italian.'
Mr Walsh said his personal favourite to become Pope would be Cardinal Luis Tagle, who has been Archbishop of Manila since 2011, but he did not think he would be elected.
'He has been a great success in Manila, he is very approachable and very well liked by everybody.
'He won't get it for one very good reason which is simply that he is too young.

'At 55-years-old, he could be pope for 30 years, which is an awfully long time,' he said.
Benedict's decision has been mostly met with praise and understanding from fellow believers.
Cardinals, Vatican officials and ordinary Catholics have acknowledged his frail state and the church's need for a strong leader.
But Sydney Cardinal George Pell has caused a stir by openly saying the resignation has been 'slightly destabilizing' for the church. 
In an interview with Australia's ABC radio, Pell noted that Benedict himself had acknowledged the shift in tradition.
Today, Cardinal Pell told the Associated Press: 'He was well aware that this was a break with tradition, slightly destabilizing.
'But he felt that because of his weakness and sickness, which was only too evident today, that he just didn't have the strength to lead in church in these demanding times.'

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