Benedict XVI to retire to a monastery

What happens when a pope resigns? The vatican says emblems of authority like the papal ring will be destroyed, as if a pope had died. He will also lose his infallibility — his supreme authority in Church matters. The special power, limited to statements of doctrine, has been used only once when Pius XII established the Assumption of Mary as Church dogma in 1950. What happens to Pope Benedict XVI? Rev. Federico Lombardi says the retiring Pope will live in a monastery on the edge of the Vatican gardens adding the Pontiff’s decision to reside there will not put his successor in a delicate position. “The pope will surely say absolutely nothing about the process of the election.” Lombardi reveals for the first time that the pope has had a pacemaker for years. The pope’s brother, Monsignor Georg Ratzinger says Benedict plans to stay out of the public eye and will probably even stop writing. He also confirms his brother has no intention of returning to live in his native Bavaria. How will a retired Pope be addressed? Some Vatican officials say it would probably be up to the next pope to decide Benedict’s new title– he might still be called “Your Holiness” as a courtesy. It is not even clear whether the retired pope will retain the name Benedict, or revert to Joseph Ratzinger.

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