Benedict XVI relishes last day in Vatican as Pope

Pope Benedict XVI is retiring as the head of the Catholic Church on Thursday two weeks after he publicly announced his decision.
Pontiff, who is 85, will hold a meeting with the cardinals before officially stepping down at 20 p.m. local time.

Early on Thursday, the pope will meet with his cardinals for a final time and then fly by helicopter to the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo south of Rome, where he will be greeted by torch-bearing Catholics.

The state-run Vatican TV channel, the Centro Televisivo Vaticano (CTV), will be airing the event, which will run off to the sound of church bells.

Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone will then destroy the pontiff’s gold signer ring in order to prevent the use of the official seal on any counterfeit documents issued in the pope’s name.

The Pontiff’s Twitter account will also be deleted, those close to Benedict XVI have told reporters. After his retirement, he will be called “pope emeritus.”

Pope Benedict XVI becomes the first pontiff to resign over the past 600 years. On Wednesday he delivered an emotional farewell speech before crowds of Catholics in central Rome, RBC reports.