Benedict XVI: 10 things about the Pope's retirement

Pope Benedict XVI's resignation on Thursday - the first by a Pope for more than 600 years - is forcing the Vatican to consider some unusual questions. Here are 10 answers.

1. Name and title He will be known as Pope emeritus, or Roman pontiff emeritus, the Vatican announced on Tuesday. He will also continue to be known by his papal title of Benedict XVI, rather than reverting to Joseph Ratzinger, and he will continue to be addressed as "Your Holiness" Benedict XVI - in the same way, for example, as US presidents continue to be referred to as "president" after leaving office. "Emeritus" is a Latin word meaning "retired", from the verb "emereri" - to earn one's discharge by service.

2. New home Benedict XVI will leave the Vatican by helicopter before he resigns at 20:00 (19:00 GMT) on Thursday, but he will return in about three months to a new residence - a former convent known as Mater Ecclesiae - in the south-west corner of Vatican City. Reports suggest Vatican gardeners will continue to cultivate a 500 sq m organic fruit and vegetable garden there - the Pope is said to enjoy marmalade made from its oranges. Meanwhile - as Mater Ecclesiae is refurbished - he will stay in the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome.

3. His clothing The Pope emeritus will continue to wear papal white - rather than the black of an ordinary priest, or the red of a cardinal. However it will be a simple cassock, with none of the flamboyant hats and vestments he revived during his papacy (prompting the Wall Street Journal to ask "Does the Pope Wear Prada?") He will be giving up his trademark red shoes, wearing instead brown shoes handmade for him by Mexican craftsmen during a visit to the country last year.

4. His ring The papal gold ring, known as the fisherman's ring, will be smashed with a specially designed silver hammer when the Pope leaves office. No change here from normal practice. "Objects strictly tied to the ministry of St Peter must be destroyed," the Vatican says. His personal seal will also be defaced.

5. His duties Benedict XVI will have no further administrative or official duties. He will not participate in the conclave to elect his successor (nor will any cardinal over the age of 80), though, since he appointed 67 of the 115 men who will take part in the conclave, his influence will be felt. Senior Catholics have also been re-reading speeches made by Benedict XVI before of his retirement for any hints about the qualities he believes his successor will require.

6. Life in retirement Announcing his resignation, the Pope said he would spend his time praying for the Church. His elder brother, Monsignor Georg Ratzinger, has also said Benedict would be happy to advise his successor, if required. Writing and studying also seems likely to be on the agenda - Benedict had a library of 20,000 books installed in the papal apartments when he was elected in 2005. He also enjoys playing the piano and watching old black-and-white comedies - and he loves cats. At least one, Contessina, is known to live at Mater Ecclesiae.

7. Social media The Pope's Twitter accounts (@Pontifex and its eight different language versions) will go into hibernation when Benedict XVI steps down. He is expected to utter his final tweets along with his final general audience on Wednesday and before he departs the Vatican on Thursday - saying goodbye to the 2.5 million followers he has gained since opening his account late last year. Whether he will take the papal iPad on the helicopter is an open question. During the "interregnum" - the period between two popes - Vatican updates will be distributed from the Secretariat of State's account @TerzaLoggia.
8. Golden parachute Modest as Benedict XVI's retirement plans may be, as a bishop he will retain the Vatican's generous private healthcare policy and is likely to have recourse to the doctors who currently manage his medical treatment. It's possible he will continue to be cared for by the small group of German nuns who have looked after him during his papacy. As a pope has not retired for 600 years, there's no precedent for a papal pension plan, but Canon law requires each diocese to look after the welfare of retiring clerics. Rome will doubtless take good care of its Pope emeritus.

9. Georg Ganswein Benedict XVI's personal secretary, Archbishop Georg Ganswein - the photogenic face seen in the background of a million photographs - will stay in this post. However, he will also keep up his role as head of the papal household for Benedict's successor. He will be the servant of two masters.

10. Infallibility It's a widely held misconception the Pope is infallible in everything he says and does. In fact, the First Vatican Council of 1870 ruled a Pope's rulings are infallible only when they are made "ex-cathedra" - as part of a doctrinal statement about the Church. Benedict XVI never invoked this privilege (and in fact only one infallible statement has been made since 1870). When he resigns as Pope he will no longer be able to make ex-cathedra statements.

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Pope Benedict XVI as emeritus pope after resignation

Pope Benedict XVI will be known as "emeritus pope" in his retirement and will continue to wear a white cassock, the Vatican has announced, again fuelling concerns about potential conflicts arising from having both a reigning and a retired pope.
The pope's title and what he would wear have been a major source of speculation ever since Benedict stunned the world and announced he would resign, the first pontiff to do so in 600 years.
The Vatican spokesman, the Rev Federico Lombardi, said Benedict himself had made the decision in consultation with others, settling on "Your Holiness Benedict XVI" and either emeritus pope or emeritus Roman pontiff as his titles following his resignation this Thursday.
Lombardi said he did not know why Benedict had decided to drop his other main title: bishop of Rome.
In the two weeks since Benedict's resignation announcement, Vatican officials had suggested that Benedict would be likely to resume wearing the traditional black garb of a cleric and would use the title "emeritus bishop of Rome" so as to not create confusion with the future pope.
Benedict's decision to call himself emeritus pope and to keep wearing white is sure to fan concern voiced privately by some cardinals about the awkward reality of having two popes, both living within the Vatican walls.
Adding to the concern is that Benedict's trusted secretary Monsignor Georg Gaänswein will be serving both pontiffs – living with Benedict at the monastery inside the Vatican and keeping his day job as prefect of the new pope's household.
Asked about the potential conflicts, Lombardi was defensive, saying the decisions had been clearly reasoned and were likely to have been made for the sake of simplicity. "I believe it was well thought out," he said.
Benedict himself has made clear he is retiring to a lifetime of prayer and meditation "hidden from the world". However, he will still be very present in the tiny Vatican city state, where his new home is right next door to the Vatican Radio and looks out over the dome of St Peter's Basilica.
While he will no longer wear his trademark red shoes, Benedict has taken a liking to a pair of hand-crafted brown loafers made for him by artisans in León, Mexico, and given to him during his 2012 visit. He will wear those in retirement, according to Lombardi.
Lombardi also spoke about the College of Cardinals meetings that will take place after the papacy becomes vacant – crucial gatherings in which cardinals will discuss the problems facing the church and set a date for the start of the conclave to elect Benedict's successor.
The first meeting was not now expected until Monday, Lombardi said, since the official convocation to cardinals to come to Rome will only go out on Friday – the first day of what is known as the sede vacante or the vacancy between papacies.
Benedict gave the cardinals the go-ahead on Monday to bring forward the start date of the conclave – tossing out the traditional 15-day waiting period. But the cardinals will not actually set a date for the conclave until they begin meeting officially on Monday.
Lombardi also further described Benedict's final 48 hours as pope. On Tuesday, he was said to be packing, arranging for documents to be sent to the various archives at the Vatican and separating out the personal papers he will take with him into retirement.
On Wednesday, Benedict will hold his final public general audience in St Peter's Square – an event that has already drawn 50,000 ticket requests. He will not greet visiting prelates or VIPs as he normally does at the end but will greet some visiting leaders – from Slovakia, San Marino, Andorra and his native Bavaria – privately afterwards.
On Thursday, the pope meets with his cardinals in the morning and then flies by helicopter at 5pm to Castel Gandolfo, the papal residence south of Rome. He will greet parishioners there from the balcony of the palace – his final public act as pope.
And at 8pm, the exact time at which his retirement becomes official, the Swiss Guards standing outside the doors of the palace will go off duty, their service protecting the head of the Catholic church then finished.
Benedict's personal security would be assured by Vatican police, Lombardi said.

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