Pope Benedict XVI carries out final engagements as head of Catholic church Nuns walk past posters wishing Pope Benedict XVI farewell after he gave his final general audience in St Peter's Square. Pope Benedict XVI is carrying out his final engagements as head of the Roman Catholic church before flying in a helicopter to a hilltop town where he is expected to spend the next two months. With his abdication due to come into effect at 8pm local time (7pm GMT) on Thursday, Benedict - who on Wednesday told pilgrims in St Peter's Square that there had been moments in his papacy during which God "seemed to be sleeping" - will on Thursday morning meet cardinals of the church who will soon be tasked with choosing his successor. At 5pm, the outgoing pontiff will leave the Vatican on board a helicopter and will travel 15 miles south-east to papal residence of Castel Gandolfo. Soon after, amid the greetings of local residents and pilgrims, he will make his final appearance as pope on the balcony of the apostolic palace. At 8pm, the Swiss guards whose job it is to guard the pope will go off duty from the gates of the palace. They are expected to be replaced by Vatican police. Once in retirement, Benedict will still be addressed as "Your Holiness Benedict XVI" but his title will be either emeritus pope or emeritus Roman pontiff. He will trade his famous red shoes for some brown loafers given to him in Mexico last year, but will continue to wear a cassock in the traditional papal colour of white. Castel Gandolfo, which has played host in summer to many popes over the past four centuries, including Benedict, overlooks a lake and offers stunning views of the surrounding countryside. As he waits for his permanent residence inside Vatican walls to be renovated, the 85-year-old Bavarian will be able to enjoy its manicured gardens and sumptuous interiors. The residence, which is under pontifical jurisdiction, even has its own working farm, with cows, hens, cockerels and bees. Meanwhile in the Vatican cardinals from all over the world will begin informal consultations on how to move forward with the process of choosing a successor. There is no date for the conclave to begin, but it could be as early as next week. There will be no representative of the UK following Cardinal Keith O'Brien's resignation earlier this week. In his final audience as pope on Wednesday, Benedict was greeted by tens of thousands of pilgrims in St Peter's Square and banners that variously read, "Thank you!" and, "You will never be alone." He told them he had resigned "for the good of the church" and that, though his papacy had had moments "of joy and light," it had also had its difficult moments. Benedict's eight years as head of the Catholic church were marred by the unfolding clerical abuse scandal in Europe and the United States, and by the so-called Vatileaks affair. "I have felt like St Peter with the spostles in the boat on the Sea of Galilee: the Lord has given us many days of sunshine and gentle breeze, days in which the catch has been abundant; [then] there have been times when the seas were rough and the wind against us ... and the Lord seemed to be sleeping," he said.