Benedict XVI will be known as "pope emeritus" and will retain the honorific "His Holiness" after he abdicates on Thursday, Vatican official say.

He will also continue to be known by his papal title of Benedict XVI, rather than reverting to Josef Ratzinger.

He will wear his distinctive white cassock without any cape or trimmings.

He will surrender his gold ring of office, known as the fisherman's ring, and his personal seal will be destroyed in the same way as when a pope dies.

Benedict XVI will also give up wearing his specially-made red leather loafers, instead wearing brown shoes hand made for him by a Mexican craftsman during a brief visit to Mexico last year, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said on Tuesday.

His resignation is the first by a pope for some 600 years.

The title "emeritus" is used when a person of status, such as a professor a bishop, hands over their position so their former rank can be retained in their title.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21589982

ok

reserved

cool..Catholic till death

Nice

The best organized institution in the world is showing humanity in clear terms how to handle sudden resignations and election of the successor. No wonder the Catholic Church with 1.2 billion members world-wide has continued to exist and surmounts challenges that come her way for nearly 2,000 years of its existence. We pray that the Holy Spirit will guide the Cardinals to elect a very worthy successor to the retiring Pope.

OK

Ikpediarukevwe: if not that u can access a website and can also type correctly, i would have said dat you're insane. Infact you are mad!

Insane People Acesses websites and type correctly all the time. So your sentence doesn't really make any sense at all.

First, you said you wouldn't call him insane because he obviously could acess a web. Then you went along and contradicted yourself by calling him Mad after all.

Seriously, man are you on weed?!

person say him no want you dey force am keep title et al. allow the old man. may God give him strength

may d Holy Spirit guide d cardinals 2 elect d choosen nd worthy sucessor 2 Benidict xvi and also continue 2 lead d church in d ri8 direction in Jesus Christ name Amen.

disboy: Nice one, but cant believe that am 1st

u re not [i][/i]jare

don buchi: Benedict XVI will be known as "pope emeritus" and will retain the honorific "His Holiness" after he abdicates on Thursday, Vatican official say.

He will also continue to be known by his papal title of Benedict XVI, rather than reverting to Josef Ratzinger.

He will wear his distinctive white cassock without any cape or trimmings.

Pope emeritus is apt, but retaining his papal title 'Pope Benedict XVI' is a misplacement. I would rather he's addressed as Josef Ratzinger than Pope Benedict XVI. He abdicated the papalship, though forever revered but should not be immuned to papal-nomenclature.

fineheart: We pray that the Holy Spirit will guide the Cardinals to elect a very worthy successor to the retiring Pope.

There is nothing Holy about the Catholic Church. Infact, they will be the first to tell you that there is no such thing as speaking in tongues or miracles.

So how can they believe in the holy spirit when they don't believe in all of these holy spirit qualities...or so I'm told.

With the resignation of the Pope ....There is a big lesson to be learn by all our politicians who like to die in power .....

RANDY-FOODS:


Will love to know how and why the Vatican chose that name.

Click Here

My guess is a symbolic term for winning people to the church. Like the way Jesus Christ got his disciples.