'No longer pope but pilgrim' says Benedict
'Will still work for good of Church'
28 February, 17:49
(ANSA) - Castel Gandolfo, February 28 - Outgoing Pope
Benedict XVI said he was "no longer pope but a pilgrim" in his
last public address as pontiff before his abdication takes
effect at 20:00 Italian time (19:00 GMT) Thursday.A huge crowd at his summer residence here greeted the 85-year-old pope who said "I'm happy to be here with you".
"I'm no longer pope, only a pilgrim, but I want to keep working for the good of the Church," he said.
Benedict, the first pope to stand down since Gregory XII in 1415, will spend two months at Castel Gandolfo before moving into a monastery inside the Vatican, as "pope emeritus".
His successor will be elected by a conclave of cardinals expected to start March 8-9.
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