Pope Benedict XVI blesses the crowd Thursday from the window of papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo, the scenic town where he will spend his first post-Vatican days and make his last public blessing as pope. | Andrew Medichini~AP
Pope Benedict XVI leaves after greetings faithful from his summer residence of Castel Gandolfo, the scenic town where he will spend his first post-Vatican days and made his last public blessing as pope,Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
The helicopter with Pope Benedict XVI aboard flies past St Peter’s square at the Vatican on February 28, 2013 in Rome. Pope Benedict XVI boarded a helicopter to fly to the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo outside Rome, where he will stay until his powers formally expire at 1900 GMT. AFP PHOTO / ALBERTO PIZZOLIALBERTO PIZZOLI,ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images
In this image taken from video as Pope Benedict XVI deliveres his final greetings to the assembly of cardinals at the Vatican Thursday Feb. 28, 2013, before he retires in just a few hours. Benedict urged the cardinals to work in unity and promised his "unconditional reverence and obedience" to his successor in his final words to his cardinals Thursday in a poignant and powerful farewell before he becomes the first pope in 600 years to resign. (AP Photo/Vatican TV)
In this image taken from video as Pope Benedict XVI, seated at centre, delivered his final greetings to the assembly of cardinals at the Vatican Thursday Feb. 28, 2013, before he retires in just a few hours. Benedict urged the cardinals to work in unity and promised his "unconditional reverence and obedience" to his successor in his final words to his cardinals Thursday in a poignant and powerful farewell before he becomes the first pope in 600 years to resign. (AP Photo/Vatican TV)
In this image taken from video as Pope Benedict XVI enters to deliver his final greetings to the assembly of cardinals at the Vatican Thursday Feb. 28, 2013, before he retires in just a few hours. Benedict urged the cardinals to work in unity and promised his "unconditional reverence and obedience" to his successor in his final words to his cardinals Thursday in a poignant and powerful farewell before he becomes the first pope in 600 years to resign. (AP Photo/Vatican TV)
Inflatable letters compose the message "Thank You Benedict, we are all with you" in the town of Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. Officials are expecting an enthusiastic welcome from the faithful in Castel Gandolfo, the scenic town where Pope Benedict XVI will spend his first post-Vatican days and make his last public blessing as pope. Fitting for a man looking for a quieter lifestyle, the numbers wont compare to his hectic send-off from St. Peters Square on the eve of his retirement. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Two nuns stand in front of Pope's summer residence of Castel Gandolfo, the scenic town where Pope Benedict XVI will spend his first post-Vatican days and make his last public blessing as pope,Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Faithful gather in front of Pope's summer residence of Castel Gandolfo, the scenic town where Pope Benedict XVI will spend his first post-Vatican days and make his last public blessing as pope,Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
In this photo provided by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Benedict XVI, top center, delivers his message on the occasion of his farewell meeting to cardinals, at the Vatican, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. Benedict XVI promised his "unconditional reverence and obedience" to his successor in his final words to his cardinals Thursday, a poignant farewell before he becomes the first pope in 600 years to resign. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, ho)
The helicopter with Pope Benedict XVI aboard flies over St Peter’s square at the Vatican on February 28, 2013 in Rome. Pope Benedict XVI boarded a helicopter to fly to the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo outside Rome, where he will stay until his powers formally expire at 1900 GMT. AFP PHOTO / ALBERTO PIZZOLIALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images
A nun holds a sign as she waits for Pope Benedict XVI to greet the crowd at the Pope's summer residence of Castel Gandolfo, the scenic town where he will spend his first post-Vatican days and make his last public blessing as pope,Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy — As bells tolled and the clock struck 8 p.m., the brass-studded wooden doors swung shut Thursday at this palace in the Italian hills, marking an end to Benedict XVI’s papacy and the start of his final journey as a “simple pilgrim.” Capping a day of tearful farewells that included an extraordinary pledge of obedience to his successor, Benedict entered history as the first pope in 600 years to resign — leaving the Catholic Church in unprecedented limbo and ending a pontificate shaped by struggles to move beyond clerical sex-abuse scandals and reawaken Christianity in an indifferent … Read More
