VATICAN CITY Pope Benedict XVI has embarked upon a final, quiet day as pontiff, meeting with his cardinals before he is due to fly off into retirement.
Benedict briefly addressed 144 cardinals gathered in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace, thanking them again for their support and saying that in the turnout for his final general audience the previous day, "we saw the spirit of Christ... The Church will rise again and be full of souls, the Church will grow."
During his remarks, he pledged his "unconditional reverence and obedience" to the man who becomes his successor.
He then gave a blessing, and personally greeted each of the cardinals in attendance, shaking their hands and exchanging a few words as they approached him in turn.
Shortly before 5 p.m. (11 a.m. Eastern), Benedict will leave the palace for the last time as pope, be driven the short distance to the helipad on the top of the hill in the Vatican gardens and fly by helicopter to the papal retreat at Castel Gandolfo south of Rome. The Vatican said he would spend the hours before his departure having lunch and resting.
CBS News will air a Special Report beginning at 10:30 a.m. Eastern with live coverage of Benedict's flight to Castel Gandolfo, and CBSNews.com will stream the entire event live, until the pope retreats behind the castle doors.
There, at 8 p.m. (2 p.m. Eastern) — the exact moment Benedict's resignation goes into effect — the doors of the palazzo will close and the Swiss Guards in attendance will go off duty, their service protecting the pope now finished.
On Wednesday, Benedict gave his final general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, addressing the faithful as pontiff for one of the last times, and CBS News correspondent Allen Pizzey says the normally shy pope made the most of it -- pausing to bless about a half dozen babies thrust toward him on the Popemobile even before taking the altar.
Benedict thanked the estimated 150,000 thousand people gathered before him, and said he was "fully aware" of the seriousness and novelty of the situation his retirement had presented the Catholic world.
Many of the cardinals -- the so-called princes of the Church -- who will soon be tasked with choosing Benedict's successor were in the square to hear him speak.
Pizzey described the job that his replacement will inherit as being like a ship tossed on stormy seas, a clear acknowledgement of the difficulties he has faced during his near-eight-year papacy. He went so far as to say that, at times, it seemed like "the Lord was sleeping."
From the point when the doors of Castel Gandolfo close behind him on Thursday, the Vatican says Pope Benedict XVI -- who will be known in his retirement as Pope Emeritus -- will essentially shrink away into a quiet life of prayer and meditation.
However, Pizzey notes that while Benedict will be banned from making public statements in his retirement, it is widely expected that his successor may take advantage of having someone nearby with whom to consult on the job at hand.
TillMidnight, Since I don't do well with praise - whether high or faint - I will simply say thank you for your kind words.
It is never my intent to do anything when I post comments here except to speak the truth about Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church in an arena filled with those who know nothing or less than nothing about the faith I know and love so dearly.
While I teach Catholic catechesis and have studied the Church for nearly 40 years now, I don't do this for a living and, as is true with all of us who leave comments here, I most certainly don't get paid to do this.
My one and only intention is to testify to what is true in spite of the vast ignorance displayed by so many of the anti-Catholic bigots who waste so much of their energy spreading lies and falsehoods at every turn.
I can only think of what Christ said as he was being crucified - "Father forgive them for they know not what they do."
So I will not return their insults. I will not stoop to acting in an un-Christian manner even though they are consistently un-Christian and insulting. It is simply not what I choose to do or whom I choose to be.
My hope and prayer for them is that they come to their senses before they die and acknowledge their utter dependence on God and the deep need they have for the salvation that comes through and only through Jesus Christ and his Church.
However, many of them have so hardened their hearts that I can only look on them with pity as they daily dig a hole for themselves in hell so deep that they will be lost forever to the light of God.
Again, it has been said that there is no darkness more profound than ignorance and no form of ignorance more unshakeable than the willful rejection of God's love.
In Charles Dickens' work "A Christmas Carol", the Ghost of Christmas Present shows Scrooge two children sitting on the floor and says to him,
"This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased."
There is no love in these people who slander the Church; in fact no knowledge, no love and no forgiveness in their hearts.
Because they do not love they will not be loved. Because they choose to not know they will not be known. And because they do not forgive they will most assuredly not be forgiven.
Don't be like them. Be like Christ Our Lord. Thank you again. God bless you and God bless the Holy Catholic Church.
Why are you so hateful to Catholic Church? Because of some evil priest, you forget all the good made by the Popes. One and for all, John Paul II had been so important for the end of the Cold War and the fall of Berlin Wall. In addition, becoming Pope is a sort of "American dream". Most of the Popes elected during the past century were born from poor families. For example, John XXIII was a peazant's son, a very good man, who passed away in 1963. In the same year died JFK. He was Catholic too, and had been a great President, before being assassinated because of his ideals of equality and justice
Hi, everybody. I'm Italian and I've always admired American People, to begin with. I think the U.S. are a Country free of prejudices and where the freedom of religion is a given. Maybe there are some abusers and pedophiles among Catholic priests, but... I live in Rome, surrounded by Catholic priests. lf they were so evil, don't you think all Italian people would have been raped and abused by the priests? Instead, they have always helped poor people, with the Pope's money they founded so many hospitals worldwide, preaching love and justice. I can't deny that Catholic "conquistadores" killed millions of Mayas or Aztecs in the name of God, but what about millions of Native Americans killed by non-catholic Americans? What about slavery? Were all the slave-owners Catholic? And was Hitler a Catholic? I don't think so, he founded a Christian religion against the Roman Church because the Pope didn't agree whit him. Besides, in more recent times, I hope American preachers and rabbis had never encouraged the KKK or other racists, but I'm not sure. So, in every religion we can find good and evil guys. Then, "Let He Who is Without Sin Cast the First Stone". All men and women must try not to hate one another, but try to fix the wrong.
You have many good points, and Americans claiming to be "religious" have killed plenty and continue to do so. I would, however, like to see the Catholic church abandon this ridiculous conceptualization of "Pope" and move to a more democratic committee of bishops or elders that set policy and promote the good works you speak of. When a single figurehead receives this much press over a retirement and half the world ponders "papal contenders," then I think we need to reflect on "thou shalt have no other Gods before me." Religious figureheads have too much power and frankly are a little creepy. Embrace democracy and get rid of these religious dictatorships already.
@KevBoom, So, are there no leaders in a democratic setup? Are democratic setups run by committees?
The US of A as I know is a democracy and yet you have the President. India is a democracy too and has both a President and a Prime Minister. The method of selecting the President in both countries are entirely different. While the people directly select their President in the US of A, in India, the selection of the President in India is by an electoral body of elected representatives.
The election/ selection of the Pope is quite similar in that the entire Catholic population does not vote, but a specific electoral body does.
The next pope will be Odilo Scherer of Brazil. He should be the pope because god is Brazilian. When he becomes pope they will all be playing football ( soccer ) in the Vatican, and forget about all church problems.
Once again the mental defectives are out in force trashing and showing their hatred against the Pope and the Catholic Church and its followers. Get off the bit about pedophilia, since there are more secular ones than there are those in the priesthood; there are over 415k priests worldwide and those who committed these heinous acts don't even comprise one-percent. Don't cast a wide brush stroke where none is appropriate.
Actually, we should do with congress like the Cardinals do when selecting a new pope, lock them in a room with no tv or cell phones, and don't let them out until they pass a budget!
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Since I don't do well with praise - whether high or faint - I will simply say thank you for your kind words.
It is never my intent to do anything when I post comments here except to speak the truth about Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church in an arena filled with those who know nothing or less than nothing about the faith I know and love so dearly.
While I teach Catholic catechesis and have studied the Church for nearly 40 years now, I don't do this for a living and, as is true with all of us who leave comments here, I most certainly don't get paid to do this.
My one and only intention is to testify to what is true in spite of the vast ignorance displayed by so many of the anti-Catholic bigots who waste so much of their energy spreading lies and falsehoods at every turn.
I can only think of what Christ said as he was being crucified - "Father forgive them for they know not what they do."
So I will not return their insults. I will not stoop to acting in an un-Christian manner even though they are consistently un-Christian and insulting.
It is simply not what I choose to do or whom I choose to be.
My hope and prayer for them is that they come to their senses before they die and acknowledge their utter dependence on God and the deep need they have for the salvation that comes through and only through Jesus Christ and his Church.
However, many of them have so hardened their hearts that I can only look on them with pity as they daily dig a hole for themselves in hell so deep that they will be lost forever to the light of God.
Again, it has been said that there is no darkness more profound than ignorance and no form of ignorance more unshakeable than the willful rejection of God's love.
In Charles Dickens' work "A Christmas Carol", the Ghost of Christmas Present shows Scrooge two children sitting on the floor and says to him,
"This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased."
There is no love in these people who slander the Church; in fact no knowledge, no love and no forgiveness in their hearts.
Because they do not love they will not be loved. Because they choose to not know they will not be known. And because they do not forgive they will most assuredly not be forgiven.
Don't be like them. Be like Christ Our Lord.
Thank you again. God bless you and God bless the Holy Catholic Church.
So, are there no leaders in a democratic setup? Are democratic setups run by committees?
The US of A as I know is a democracy and yet you have the President. India is a democracy too and has both a President and a Prime Minister. The method of selecting the President in both countries are entirely different. While the people directly select their President in the US of A, in India, the selection of the President in India is by an electoral body of elected representatives.
The election/ selection of the Pope is quite similar in that the entire Catholic population does not vote, but a specific electoral body does.