Pope Benedict XVI blesses faithful before leaving the altar at the end of his last weekly audience on February 27, 2013 at St Peter's square at the Vatican. Source: AFP
POPE Benedict XVI promised his "unconditional reverence and obedience" to his successor in his final words to his cardinals, a poignant farewell before he becomes the first pope in 600 years to resign.
The pontiff appeared to be trying to defuse concerns about possible conflicts arising from the peculiar situation of having a reigning pope and a retired one.
Delivering an unexpected speech, Benedict also urged the "princes" of the church to set aside their differences as they elect the next pope, urging them to be unified so that the College of Cardinals works "like an orchestra" where "agreement and harmony" can be reached despite diversity.
He said he would pray for the cardinals in coming days as they choose his successor.
"Among you is also the future pope, whom I promise my unconditional reverence and obedience," Benedict said in his final audience.
Benedict's decision to live at the Vatican in retirement, be called "emeritus pope" and "Your Holiness" and to wear the white cassock associated with the papacy has deepened concerns about the shadow he will cast over the next papacy.
But Benedict has tried to address those worries, saying that once retired he would be "hidden from the world." In his final speech in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday, he said he wasn't returning to private life, but rather to a new form of service to the church through prayer.
Cardinals applaud Pope Benedict XVI as he arrives for his last weekly audience. In a surprise speech to the Cardinals on his final day as pope, Benedict promised "unconditional reverence and obedience" to his successor.
Shortly before 5pm (3am AEDT), Benedict will leave the palace 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 8pm sharp (6am AEDT), Benedict will become the first pontiff in 600 years to resign. The doors of the palazzo will shut and the Swiss Guards will go off duty, their service protecting the head of the Catholic Church over - for now.
The 85-year-old pontiff stunned the globe when he announced his momentous decision in a surprise speech in Latin on February 11, saying he no longer had the "strength of mind and body" to carry on in a fast-changing modern world.
"I took this step in full awareness of its gravity and novelty but with profound serenity of spirit," the pope told a cheering crowd of 150,000 pilgrims in St Peter's Square in his final public farewell.
The theologian pope - a shy academic who seemed out of touch with scandals that plagued the church in recent years - said his eight-year pontificate had seen "sunny days" and "stormy waters" but added: "I never felt alone."
He will also keep his papal name of Benedict XVI and will not be referred to by his original name as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in more firsts for the Vatican, where the traditional system is geared towards popes dying in office.
In an emotional farewell at St. Peter's Square, Pope Benedict tells tens of thousands of pilgrims that he is resigning for the good of the Church. Sarah Sheffer reports.
Once he takes up residence as planned in a former convent on a hilltop within the Vatican walls, the church will be in the unprecedented situation of having a pope and his predecessor living within a stone's throw of each other.
Vatican analysts have even suggested his sudden exit could set a precedent for ageing popes in the future and many Catholics say a more youthful, pastoral figure could breathe new life into a church struggling on many levels.
From Catholic reformers calling for women clergy and for an end to priestly celibacy, to growing secularism in the West and the ongoing scourge of decades of sexual abuse by paedophile priests, the next pope will have a tough agenda.
Papal race now wide open
Pope Benedict's departure throws open a race for the Vatican's top job which will see as many as 115 elector cardinals from around the world meet in a secret conclave to pick his successor.
Pilgrims and clergy members hold a candle-lit vigil in Saint Peter's Square outside Pope Benedict XVI's private apartment, after his final weekly public audience in Vatican City, Vatican.
Cardinals electing the new pope will be looking for a charismatic but tenacious man capable of re-uniting a fractious Catholic Church, stamping down on scandals and re-igniting faith among the young.
"First of all, we need a pope who knows how to speak to the world - beyond the Catholic world," said Andrea Tornielli, Vatican expert for La Stampa daily's Vatican Insider insert.
"He needs to be open and understanding, not too inward-looking," he said.
It will not be an easy decision, said John Allen from the National Catholic Reporter in Rome.
"There are conservatives versus moderates, there is third world versus first world ... and insiders versus outsiders," he said.
Pope Benedict XVI waves to the faithful as he arrives in St Peter's Square for his final public appearance as Pontiff. Picture: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
Good communication skills are a key requisite for many Vatican watchers: favourites are Timothy Dolan, the 63-year old Archbishop of New York who is renowned for his humour and dynamism, and Brazil's Odilo Scherer, 63, who is praised for his open mind and is a keen tweeter.
After the academic language of Benedict's sermons, many are also looking for a warmer pope - which could be Vienna's Christoph Schoenborn, 68, admired for his pastoral touch and compared by some to the much-loved John Paul II.
The next pope "has to be able to speak the language of God in the language of men", said French cardinal Paul Poupard.
Young faithful in particular have repeatedly said that the 85-year old pope's decision to step down because of his age is a sign the church now needs a more youthful and flexible leader.
At 55, Luis Antonio Tagle from the Philippines is the church's second youngest cardinal: he is tipped for his dynamism and charisma, and is hugely popular in Asia. Brazil's Joao Braz de Aviz, a 65-year old known for his attempts to reach out to breakaway liberals, is also well-liked.
The German Pope's reign was overshadowed by a vast sex abuse scandal which reared its head time and again despite Benedict's efforts, and many will be looking for a new pope capable of slamming down on pedophile priests.
Their man may be Sean O'Malley from Boston - where the scandal first exploded a decade ago - who has worked hard to crack down on abusers and sold the archdiocese's palatial headquarters to raise money for victim settlements.
Others will hope the new pope will tackle internal divisions, bickering and jostling for power within the unruly Curia - the central government of the Catholic Church.
Argentina's Leonardo Sandri, a 69-year old born in Buenos Aires to Italian parents, is considered a possible contender to bridge divides, while supporters of Canada's Marc Ouellet, 67, say he would crack down on the wilful Curia.
Many observers are hoping for a more progressive pope who could tackle sensitive topics such as homosexuality, the use of condoms and clerical marriage, but cardinals willing to open up on all fronts are few and far between.
Ghana's Peter Turkson, 64, is noted for easing the rules on contraception, advocating condom use among married couples if one partner is infected with AIDS.
But his recent comments in an interview suggesting homosexuality may be part of the reason for the sex abuse scandals damaged his chances says some observers: so too did his decision to show a synod a video sensationalising Muslim immigration to Europe.
Those hoping the future pontiff will carry on Benedict's efforts to improve interreligious relations and increase dialogue with the secular world by reaching out to atheists may be backing one of two Italian contenders for pope.
Angelo Scola, the 72-year old Archbishop of Milan is a keen promoter of dialogue between Muslims and Christians, while Vatican culture minister Gianfranco Ravasi, 70, has set up a series of exchanges with non-believers.
Low-key exit for Benedict
The run-up to the exact moment that will go down in history as only the second voluntary resignation of a Roman pontiff in the church's 2000 years has been filled with emotion but perhaps surprisingly low-key for the Vatican.
There will be a small parting ceremony with some of his staff in a Vatican courtyard and a few minutes later the pope will board a white helicopter emblazoned with the papal insignia from the Vatican grounds.
The soon-to-be former pope will see the Vatican City - the world's smallest state - from the sky one last time as its sovereign ruler and fly to the 17th-century papal residence of Castel Gandolfo on a rocky outcrop near Rome.
There the pope will begin a quiet life of prayer and academic research.
Within a couple of months, the pope is expected to return to the Vatican and take up residence in an ex-nunnery with breathtaking views of Rome surrounded by extensive well-manicured gardens where he could bump into his successor.
Benedict has said he will live "hidden from the world" but the Vatican has said he is ready to help and could provide "spiritual guidance" to the next pope although he could not intervene directly or contradict him in public.
