Benedict to spend retirement at Vatican gardens home
Retired Pope Benedict XVI is to move into his new retirement home in the Vatican gardens on Thursday.
The 86-year-old emeritus pontiff has been living at the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo, in the hills south of Rome, since he resigned on February 28.
A Vatican spokesman said that Benedict will live on the ground floor of the monastery inside the gardens that has been renovated for his use. A small staff will join him.
Benedict looked frail on March 23 – the last time he was seen by the public - when Pope Francis travelled to Castel Gandolfo to greet his predecessor.
The Vatican has insisted Benedict is not suffering from any specific medical condition but is just elderly and tired.
