< Previous Page
Around the time he took off, the Vatican sent a final tweet from Benedict’s Twitter account, (at)Pontifex. "Thank you for your love and support. May you always experience the joy that comes from putting Christ at the centre of your lives."
Soon afterward, that tweet and all Benedict’s previous ones were deleted and the profile was changed to read "Sede Vacante."
And a few seconds past 8 p.m., the soft click of the 20-foot-high wooden door at Castel Gandolfo closed, signaling the end of the papacy. A Vatican official was then seen taking down the Holy See’s white and yellow flag from the Castel Gandolfo residence.
"We have the pope right here at home," said Anna Maria Togni, who walked two kilometers (one mile) from the outskirts of Castel Gandolfo to witness history. "We feel a tenderness toward him."
Benedict set his resignation in motion Feb. 11, when he announced that he no longer had the "strength of mind and body" do to the job. It was the first time that a pope had resigned since Pope Gregory XII stepped down in 1415 to help end a church schism.
In the weeks since Benedict’s announcement, speculation has mounted whether other factors were to blame. By the time his final day came around though, Benedict seemed perfectly serene with his decision.
The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the pope’s pledge to obey his successor was in keeping with his effort to "explain how he intends to live this unprecedented situation of an emeritus pope."
"He has no intention of interfering in the position or the decisions or the activity of his successor," Lombardi said. "But as every member of the church, he says fully that he recognizes the authority of the supreme pastor of the church who will be elected to succeed him."
The issue of papal obedience is important for Benedict. In his last legal document, he made new provisions for cardinals to make a formal, public pledge of obedience to the new pope at his installation Mass, in addition to the private one they traditionally make inside the Sistine Chapel immediately after he is elected.
The Rev. Thomas Reese, author of "Inside the Vatican," a guide to the Vatican bureaucracy, welcomed Benedict’s similarly public pledge, saying: ‘‘There is room in the church for only one pope and his pledge of obedience shows that Benedict does not want to be used by anyone to undermine the authority of the new pope."
-
Women’s softball: UVU lands 7 on all-conference team
Published May 21, 2013 03:02:03PM -
Arrests expected soon in eastern Utah beating that put man in coma
Published May 21, 2013 02:50:56PM -
Wrestling: Penn State’s Matt Brown, Utah Valley honored for high grades
Published May 21, 2013 02:48:02PM -
5A boys’ soccer: Fabulous OT finish sends Bingham to Rio Tinto
Published May 21, 2013 02:49:17PM
He said he would have preferred Benedict to go back to his given name and eschew the white of the papacy.
"Symbols are important in the church," he said.
———
Winfield reported from Vatican City.
Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
