Pope Benedict XVI, the first pope with his own Twitter account, tweeted a final goodbye Thursday morning before taking the almost unprecedented step of retiring from the papacy.
Thank you for your love and support. May you always experience the joy that comes from putting Christ at the centre of your lives.— Benedict XVI (@Pontifex) February 28, 2013
Benedict left the Vatican onboard a helicopter bound for a seaside papal residence near Rome at 11 a.m ET. Benedict's retirement will become official at 8 p.m. ET Thursday, when he will gain the newly created title of "pope emeritus."
Benedict promised in a Thursday speech "unconditional reverence and obedience" towards his yet-unchosen successor, who will be picked by a conclave of cardinals expected to begin deliberations in a few weeks. It has been 600 years since a pope retired from the position, making this particular conclave a unique event in modern Catholicism.
Benedict made social media history as as the first pope to tweet and the first pope with his own Twitter account, @Pontifex. With Benedict leaving the papacy, the fate of @Pontifex is uncertain -- the Vatican has said it will leave the account untouched during the conclave until Benedict's successor decides if he, too, will be a tweeting pope.
"It seems unimaginable that one could continue to use a communication tool so popular and powerful during the 'sede vacante' period," said Vatican Radio as reported by CNN.
@Pontifex has nearly 1.6 million followers on the English-language account and several hundred thousand more across eight other-language accounts. The account was created on Feb. 23 but didn't begin tweeting until mid-December, sending less than 40 tweets since then.
Other religious leaders also have a sizable following on Twitter, including the Dalai Lama.
Did you follow the pope on Twitter? What would your last tweet be if you were retiring?