Article updated: 2/12/2013 9:20 AM

Retiring pope faces uncharted territory

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A statuette depicting Pope Benedict XVI carrying a suitcase and holding up a sign reading in German "Auf Wiedersehen" (goodbye), is seen in a shop in Naples, Italy, Feb. 12, 2013. Benedict XVI on Monday announced that he will resign on Feb. 28 — the first pontiff to do so in nearly 600 years.

Associated Press

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A view of the pope's summer residence of Castel Gandolfo, in the town of Castelgandolfo, south of Rome, Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013. Immediately after his resignation on Feb. 28, 2013, Pope Benedict XVI will spend some time at the papal summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo, overlooking Lake Albano in the hills south of Rome where he has spent his summer vacations reading and writing.

Associated Press

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For months, construction crews have been renovating a four-story building attached to a monastery on the northern edge of the Vatican gardens. Only a handful of Vatican officials knew it would one day be Pope Benedict XVI's retirement home. From a new name to this new home to the awkward reality of having a reigning pope and a retired one, Benedict is facing uncharted territory as he becomes the first pontiff in six centuries to retire.

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