Pope Expected to Live Out a Quiet Retirement in Vatican Monastery

Pope Benedict XVI will continue living inside the Vatican once his retirement becomes official at the end of the month, but observers say he will probably keep a low profile both before and after the election to choose his successor, the Religion News Service reports. The 85-year-old German will officially step down from the papacy at 8 p.m. local time on Feb. 28. As the Roman Catholic Church prepares for the election of a new pope, Benedict will move to the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, just outside of Rome, and after the election he will settle in a former cloistered convent inside the Vatican walls, which is currently being renovated, according to the Vatican's chief spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi. Benedict will "lead a life of prayer" and will be free to "move and communicate with the public" as he pleases, Lombardi said.