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| "I am simply a pilgrim beginning the last leg of his pilgrimage on this earth." - Pope Benedict XVI |
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BENEDICT XVI: TO WORK FOR THE GOOD OF THE CHURCH AND OF HUMANITY
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BENEDICT
XVI: TO WORK FOR THE GOOD OF THE CHURCH AND OF HUMANITY
Vatican
City, 28 February 2013 (VIS) – This afternoon, shortly after
5:00pm, Benedict XVI left the Vatican for the last time as Supreme
Pontiff. A few moments earlier, in the San Damaso Courtyard of the
Vatican Apostolic Palace, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B.,
secretary of State of His Holiness, and other members of that
dicastery bid him farewell. In full military regalia, the Swiss Guard
troops paid him homage. Also present were Cardinal Agostino Vallini,
vicar general of Rome, and Cardinal Angelo Comastri, vicar general of
His Holiness for Vatican City. Many of the workers of the Vatican
City State, with their families, were also in attendance and greeted
the Pope with warm applause.
Before
leaving the Vatican, Benedict XVI issued his last tweet: “Thank you
for your love and support. May you always experience the joy that
comes from putting Christ at the centre of your lives.”
Shortly
afterwards the Holy Father, accompanied by his private secretary,
Archbishop Georg Ganswein, prefect of the Papal Household, took a car
to the Vatican heliport where the dean of the College of Cardinals,
Cardinal Angelo Sodano, greeted him and he boarded the helicopter
that carried him to Castel Gandolfo. As the helicopter lifted off,
the bells of St. Peter's Basilica and the churches of Roma began
ringing.
The
Pope's helicopter flew over the city of Rome, passing by the
Colosseum and St. John Lateran Basilica, and landed at the Castel
Gandolfo heliport just after 5:20pm. Awaiting the Holy Father were
Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello and Bishop Giuseppe Sciacca, respectively
president and secretary general of the Governorate of Vatican City
State along with Saverio Petrillo, director of the Pontifical Villas,
Bishop Marcello Semeraro of the Diocese of Albano, and civil and
religious authorities of the area. The Pope was then taken by car to
the Castel Gandolfo Apostolic Palace, where he was greeted by
hundreds of people while the bells of Castel Gandolfo's parishes rang
out.
Shortly
afterwards, Benedict XVI appeared at the balcony of the Apostolic
Palace and said to the many faithful who were waiting to thank him
for his pontificate: “Thank you. Thank you all. Dear friends, I am
happy to be with you, surrounded by the beauty of Creation and your
well wishes, which do me such good. Thank you for your friendship and
your affection. You know that this day is different for me than the
preceding ones. I am no longer the Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic
Church, or I will be until 8:00 this evening and then no longer. I am
simply a pilgrim beginning the last leg of his pilgrimage on this
earth. But I would still—with my heart, with my love, with my
prayers, with my reflection, and with all my inner strength—like to
work for the common good and the Good of the Church and of humanity.
I feel very supported by your kindness. Let us go forward with the
Lord for the good of the Church and the world. Thank you. I now
wholeheartedly impart my blessing. Blessed be God Almighty, Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit. Good night! Thank you all!”
Benedict
XVI's pontificate concludes at 8:00pm this evening (Rome time), at
which time the period of the Sede Vacante begins. The Swiss Guards
will no longer be in charge of his safekeeping—which detail will
then be undertaken by the Vatican Gendarmerie—and will return to
the Vatican to offer their service to the College of Cardinals.
During this period the twitter account @Pontifex will be deactivated.
Once elected, the new Pope may, if he so desires, take over its use.
Benedict XVI's Fisherman's Ring and the seal of his pontificate will
also be destroyed at that time and the papal apartments in the
Vatican Palace will be sealed.
You
can find more information at: www.visnews.org
The
news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used,
in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source:
V.I.S.
-Vatican Information Service.
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© Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City
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