Feb

2013

10:01am, EST

Step inside Pope Benedict's temporary new home

Alessandro Di Meo / EPA

The Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo, Pope's summer residence, on the outskirts of Rome. Pope Benedict XVI will officially step down on Feb. 28. On the last day of his pontificate, the Pope is due to take a helicopter to Castel Gandolfo where he will stay during the conclave.

Alessandro Di Meo / EPA

Gardens at Castel Gandolfo

By Alastair Jamieson, Staff writer, NBC News

Pope Benedict will leave his residence inside the Vatican and travel by helicopter to his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, about 15 miles south-east of Rome at about 4.55 p.m. local time (10:55 a.m. ET) Thursday. His papacy will officially end at 8 p.m. local time (2 p.m. ET).

After stepping down, the pope will keep his name, His Holiness Benedict XVI, but get a new official title, "Emeritus Pope." The Vatican on Tuesday said he would wear a simple white cassock and swap his traditional red shoes for a pair of brown leather loafers he was given on his trip to Leon in Mexico last year. Continue reading.

Editor's note: These pictures were taken on Feb. 20 and 21.

Gregorio Borgia / AP

A grotto

Alessandro Di Meo / EPA

The Chinese Room

Alessandro Di Meo / EPA

A light switch bears the Papal seal.

Alessandro Di Meo / EPA

Details of a chair inside the Chinese Room

Max Rossi / Reuters

A view of Castel Gandolfo lake is seen from inside the summer residence of Pope Benedict XVI in Castel Gandolfo.

Franco Origlia / Getty Images

The Apostolic Palace and the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo on Lake Albano will be Pope Benedict XVI's residence during the next Conclave, in Rome, Italy.

When Pope Benedict XVI steps down, he will head to the sleepy town of Castel Gandolfo, used by popes as a quiet sanctuary for 400 years, where he will await the completion of construction on his new home. NBC's Savannah Guthrie reports.

Related content:

Slideshow: Pope Benedict XVI's departure

Gabriel Bouys / AFP - Getty Images

The pope delivers his final audience in St. Peter's Square as he prepares to stand down.

Launch slideshow

Sep

2012

11:45am, EDT

Pope: Multi-faith Lebanon should be model for Middle East

Hasan Shaaban / Reuters

Faithful wave Lebanese and Vatican City flags amid confetti upon Pope Benedict XVI's arrival in his pope mobile at the Baabda Presidential Palace near Beirut, Lebanon, Sept. 15. Pope Benedict is in Lebanon on a three-day visit.

Christianity and Islam have lived together in Lebanon for centuries, he (the pope) said, sometimes within one family. "If this is possible within the same family, why should it not be possible at the level of the whole of society?" he asked.

"Lebanon is called, now more than ever, to be an example," he said, inviting his audience "to testify with courage, in season and out of season, wherever you find yourselves, that God wants peace, that God entrusts peace to us".

-- Reported by Reuters

Read the full story.

Alessandra Tarantino / AP

Youth wait for Pope Benedict XVI in Bkerke, Beirut, Lebanon, Sept. 15. Pope Benedict XVI has appealed for religious freedom in the Middle East, calling it fundamental for stability in a region bloodied by sectarian strife. Benedict arrived in Lebanon Friday amid a wave of violent protests across the Middle East over an anti-Islam film.

L'Osservatore Romano / AP

Pope Benedict XVI meets religious authorities at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sept. 15. Pope Benedict XVI appealed for peace and reconciliation among religions Friday as violence over an anti-Islam movie spilled over into Lebanon within hours of his arrival in the tumultuous region. Lebanon has the largest percentage of Christians in the Mideast — nearly 40 percent of the country's 4 million people, with Maronite Catholics being the largest sect.

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