Pope Benedict XVI greets the crowd from the window of 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/Andrew Medichini)
Pope Benedict XVI greets the crowd from the window of 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/Andrew Medichini)
A priest enters the square where the papal summer residence is located, 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,Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
A nun clasps her hands as she waits near the 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)
People wait for the taking off of the helicopter which will take Pope Benedict XVI to Castel Gandolfo in Rome, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. Shortly before 5 p.m. on Thursday, Pope Benedict will leave the Apostolic palace inside the Vatican for the last time as pontiff, head to the helipad at the top of the hill in the Vatican gardens and fly to the papal retreat at Castel Gandolfo south of Rome. There, at 8 p.m. sharp, Benedict will become the first pontiff in 600 years to resign. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
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)
"Pope Live" follows the events of the final day of Pope Benedict XVI's papacy as seen by journalists from The Associated Press around the world. It will be updated throughout the day with breaking news and other items of interest.
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QUICKQUOTE: BENEDICT
"I am simply a pilgrim who is starting the last part of his journey." ? Pope Benedict XVI on the balcony at Castel Gandolfo.
? Frances D'Emilio ? Twitter http://twitter.com/fdemilio
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AMERICANS SAY GOODBYE
Catholic churches across the U.S. are opening their doors for prayer timed with the end of Pope Benedict XVI's reign.
At the Cathedral of St. Mary in Miami, school children will read from Benedict's writings, then blow out a candle in front of his photo at 2 p.m., the moment Benedict has chosen to step down.
At the same time, a Mass for the Election of a New Pope will be celebrated at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. The Archdiocese of Detroit is planning a holy hour of prayer from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Boston Cardinal Sean O'Malley, who is in Rome and will vote in the conclave to elect the next pontiff, asked churches in his archdiocese to ring bells for eight minutes starting at 1:52 p.m. to honor Benedict's ministry.
? Rachel Zoll, AP Religion Writer, https://twitter.com/rzollAP
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POPE ON THE BALCONY
As Pope Benedict XVI appears on the balcony at Castel Gandolfo, people in the crowd below start screaming his name. He must wait before he can even speak to them.
? Frances D'Emilio ? Twitter http://twitter.com/fdemilio
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THE POPE SPEAKS
Benedict XVI greets the faithful for the last time as pope from the balcony of the papal retreat.
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'BENEDETTO, BENEDETTO'
As a helicopter whirs overhead, bells start ringing more furiously than before. The crowd in the Castel Gandolfo square starts cheering and chanting, "Benedetto, Benedetto" in rhythm.
? Frances D'Emilio ? Twitter http://twitter.com/fdemilio
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THE PAPAL RETREAT
The Pope has arrived at the papal estate in Castel Gandolfo, as crowds in the town square cheer and wave flags.
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BELLS IN ROME
Bells are tolling in Rome as the papal helicopter leaves Vatican, flies toward the Castel Gandolfo papal retreat.
The pope's loyal secretary Georg Gaenswein was seen weeping as he accompanied Benedict in his final walk down a Vatican corridor.
? Joji Sakurai ? Twitter ? http://twitter.com/jojisakurai
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THE ARRIVAL
The Pope's helicopter lands at the pad in Castel Gandolfo, where he is greeted by well-wishers.
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TWEETING GOODBYE
A final tweet from the first pope to have his own Twitter account, (at)Pontifex, sent shortly before his departure from the Vatican: "Thank you for your love and support. May you always experience the joy that comes from putting Christ at the centre of your lives."
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PALACE DOORS OPEN
The palace doors in Castel Gandolfo have just swung open and two Swiss Guards have appeared standing at attention. Police say the town square holds 4,000 people but it's now overflowing and many are filling the surrounding streets.
? Frances D'Emilio ? Twitter http://twitter.com/fdemilio
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COLOMBIAN BELLS
From the steamy Caribbean to the chilly highlands, Colombia's nearly 5,000 Catholic parishes are ringing their bells in gratitude as the pope departs the Vatican.
The seemingly eternally conflict-ridden South American nation is nominally 90 percent Roman Catholic, although church leaders acknowledge that many are not observant.
Outside the parish in Bogota's lower-class 20th of July neighborhood, Florelia Buitrago, 62, had a request for Benedict.
"I ask the pope to help choose a new pope who won't betray the world, who will prevent wars and help us Catholics, because we Catholics are very poor," she said.
? Libardo Cardona ? Twitter http://twitter.com/LicardonaM
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CUBAN PARALLELS
The pope's retirement is echoing in Cuba.
President Raul Castro, 81, says he will step down in 2018, ending what would be 59 unbroken years of rule by him and his brother Fidel.
Resident Maria Delgado notes the pontiff's advancing age and scandals that have afflicted his papacy.
"I think it's very good for a person to resign when he's old and there are many problems he has been unable to avoid or resolve," says Delgado, a 71-year-old churchgoing retiree.
Humberto Calle, a 20-year-old engineering student, agrees.
"If you feel you aren't capable, in shape, and there are a lot of problems, you should resign and better for someone else to come in who can fix things," Calle says. "I think that's great."
Benedict visited the island in March 2012.
? Anne-Marie Garcia ? Twitter www.twitter.com/AnneMarie279
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HE'S OFF!
Benedict XVI's helicopter is circling over St. Peter's Square before heading to Castel Gandolfo, where he will make his final appearance as pope. Spectators around the helipad are hanging out signs that read, "Thank you."
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SAYING THE ROSARY
The crowd at Castel Gandolfo is reciting the rosary, led by a woman using a loudspeaker in final hour before the pope arrives.
As soon as sun started going down, the air in the town quickly changed from springlike to chilly. Some of the faithful have ducked inside a cafe to warm themselves as they pray.
Children are running and shrieking on the edges of the square, happy to play as their parents keep on praying.
? Frances D'Emilio ? Twitter http://twitter.com/fdemilio
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POPE'S MOTORCADE
The Pope has greeted his staff for the last time, and is heading in a motorcade for the helicopter that will take him to Castel Gandolfo.
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THE SENDOFF
The Swiss Guards are marching in step inside the San Damaso courtyard inside the Vatican's Apostolic Palace, preparing Pope Benedict XVI's sendoff.
Members of the Vatican bureaucracy, or Curia, have poured into the courtyard to witness the historic moment of Benedict's final departure from the Vatican as pope.
He will travel by car to the Vatican's helipad at the top of the hill in the Vatican gardens, and then will fly by helicopter to the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo.
? Nicole Winfield ? Twitter http://twitter.com/nwinfield
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LAST-MINUTE ITALY
Italians often show up for events at the last minute, and the gathering to say farewell to Pope Benedict XVI in the main square of Castel Gandolfo was no exception.
As the clock struck 4:15 p.m., the crowd of a few hundred seemed to swell almost at once to a few thousand well-wishers packing the tiny, rectangular square.
Yellow-and-white paper pennants in Vatican colors were selling briskly at ?1 euro ($1.50) apiece as the town awaited the pope's arrival in about an hour.
? Frances D'Emilio ? Twitter http://twitter.com/fdemilio
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HOPE FOR A BRAZILIAN POPE
Sitting on a borrowed plastic chair as he awaited Benedict XVI's final public appearance as pope, Tiago Padilha speculated on what it would be like to have someone from his home country of Brazil lead the Church.
"If he comes from Brazil, it would be a big joy for a great people with great faith," he said, his 18-month-old son perched on his knee happily blowing soap bubbles. "That would develop even more the faith among the Catholic youth. That would be fantastic."
Brazilian Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer is believed to be to be a leading contender to succeed Benedict. Many believe that a pontiff from Latin America would help stem the losses in a region where 40 percent of the world's Catholics live.
? Frances D'Emilio ? Twitter http://twitter.com/fdemilio
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QUICKQUOTE: FAN
Anna Maria Togni and her friend walked two kilometers (one mile) from the outskirts of Castel Gandolfo to witness history today as Pope Benedict XVI retires. Licking a gelato of hazelnut and nougat, Togni said she "felt lucky."
"We have the pope right here at home," she said.
"We feel a tenderness toward him. I think they made him leave," she said of Benedict.
? Frances D'Emilio ? Twitter http://twitter.com/fdemilio
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NOT ALL FEATHERED HELMETS
Being a Swiss Guard is not all feathered helmets and puffy striped uniforms.
To even apply, you must be Catholic, male, Swiss and between 19 and 30 years of age. You need to sign up for a minimum two-year hitch and must complete your mandatory military service back at home.
Swiss Guards take an oath to protect the present pope and whoever follows him as the latest successor to the first pontiff, Peter.
Tonight, when Pope Benedict XVI retires at 8 p.m., the Swiss Guards will go inside the papal palace at Castel Gandolfo and go off duty. They won't be staying, however ? after they get out of their dress uniforms they will be driven back to Rome.
Benedict will then be guarded by Vatican security personnel.
? Frances D'Emilio ? Twitter http://twitter.com/fdemilio
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CARDINAL DIES
The French Bishops' Conference has announced that Cardinal Jean Honor?, who was appointed by Benedict's predecessor John Paul II, died Thursday, hours before the pope was due to leave office. He was 92.
Honor?, who was Archbishop of Tours from 1972 to 1981, was already over 80 when he was made a cardinal in 2001, so he was unable to vote at the previous conclave in 2005 and would not have voted at the upcoming one either.
He was an expert in the work of the British 19th-century cleric Cardinal John Henry Newman, who was beatified by Benedict in 2010.
? Noami Koppel ? Twitter http://twitter.com/naomikoppel
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BALCONY DOORS OPEN
Just minutes ago, the balcony doors swung open at the papal palace overlooking the main square in Castel Gandolfo, where Pope Benedict XVI will say the last public words of his papacy.
Two aides came out and draped a crimson banner emblazoned with the papal seal off the balcony's railing.
The first signs of movement inside the palace set off a round of cheering from the few hundred people jamming the tiny square.
? Frances D'Emilio ? Twitter http://twitter.com/fdemilio
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WRITTEN IN STONE
Benedict is on permanent record as a fan of Castel Gandolfo.
A plaque on the main square in his name praises his view of the lake and "the good people" of the town of 8,500. Three hours before his arrival by helicopter, some 100 of them were awaiting him in the little cobblestone square outside the brown wooden doors of the residence where he will stay once his papacy ends.
A greeting was spelled out in silver letter-shaped balloons: "Thanks Benedict, all of us are with you." It was strung up between the second and third floors of an apartment building whose ground floor is home to the town's tiny post office and across the square from a coffee bar ? where local were sipping espresso to get a caffeine jolt for the wait.
? Frances D'Emilio ? Twitter http://twitter.com/fdemilio
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KNIGHTS OF MALTA
Luciano Mariani is bidding farewell to his sixth pope with a big parade.
Mariani, a member of the famed Knights of Malta who has served a succession of popes at Castel Gandolfo, met his first pope, Pius XII, as a boy. He and other members of the order help tend the grounds at the estate, where Benedict XVI will arrive later today to spend the last hours of his papacy.
Mariani and his fellow Knights of Malta will dress in ceremonial garb to greet him with a parade.
Mariani, 69, says Benedict "is a great pope. He did a lot of beautiful and big things for the church." He said his order was shocked by the pope's resignation but he says "we have to accept it as Christians and we have to have faith in it."
The Knights of Malta, which has 13,500 members worldwide, celebrated its 900th anniversary last month.
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? Amer Cohadzic, AP video producer.
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HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Benedict is being welcomed in the town of Castel Gandolfo, but John Paul II truly made it his second home while he was pope, spending more than five years total there during his long papacy.
He had a swimming pool installed and liked to put his desk outside to work. He once caught the whiff of a barbeque and showed up as the surprise guest of a group of Swiss Guards.
? Frances D'Emilio ? Twitter http://twitter.com/fdemilio
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