Pope Benedict XVI will be known as “pope emeritus” and can continue to wear the white papal cassock after he steps down this week, the Vatican said Tuesday.
The retiring leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics can still be referred to as “His Holiness Benedict XVI” and will have the additional title of “Roman pontiff emeritus”, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said.
Benedict would stop wearing the gold Fisherman’s Ring used to seal papal documents.
Tradition dictates that the ring be destroyed and a new one cast for each pope, but whether that occurs will be up to Vatican number two Tarcisio Bertone, the camerlingo or chamberlain who will be “interim pope” until a successor to Benedict is found.
The Vatican spokesman also said that a series of meetings of cardinals to settle on a date for the start of the papal election conclave could start on Monday.
Benedict holds a final general audience in St Peter’s Square on Wednesday, the eve of his formal resignation.