Pope's last sermon

“I WILL no longer be Pope but a simple pilgrim who is starting out on the last part of his pilgrimage on this Earth… I am happy to be with you surrounded by the beauty of creation. Thank you for your friendship and affection.”
With these words, Pope Benedict XVI yesterday said a final goodbye to thousands of cheering supporters from the balcony of the Papal residence at Castel Gandolfo near Rome before starting a life of retirement as the first Pontiff to resign in over 700 years.
Benedict – who would now be known as Emeritus Pope – earlier left the Vatican in a white helicopter emblazoned with the Vatican flag, seeing St. Peter’s Basilica from the sky for the last time as Pope.
As he took leave of his closest aides in an emotional ceremony in the Vatican where he was applauded and cheered by priests, nuns and liveried Swiss Guards, agency reports indicated that Vatican members of staff lined the route of his motorcade and applauded.
The bells of St Peter’s Basilica rang out as the helicopter took off from the Vatican’s helipad.
The Pope said in a final tweet sent from his @pontifex Twitter account just before taking off: “Thank you for your love and support.
“May you always experience the joy that comes from putting Christ at the centre of your lives.”
The Twitter account will now be suspended until a new Pope is elected in a conclave next month.
He later arrived by the helicopter at Castel Gandolfo near Rome shortly before he officially resigned his eight-year Papacy at 1900 GMT.