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Pope emeritus earthquake: A minor earthquake struck the resort home of the pope emeritus.
Former Pope Benedict XVI waves to pilgrims, for the last time as head of the Catholic Church, from the window of Castel Gandolfo where he will start his retirement today on Feb. 28, 2013 in Rome, Italy. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
A minor earthquake struck Rome and nearby areas, including the resort home of the pope emeritus, Castel Gandolfo, according to reports on Sunday.
“I don’t believe this: earth tremors at Castelgandolfo 3 days after #pope’s arrival,” tweeted John Hooper, a correspondent for The Economist and the Southern Europe editor of the Guardian.
The earthquake had a magnitude of 2.5 and was felt in Castel Gandolfo, Rome, Marino, and Ciapino, and there were no reports of any damage done, reported AFP.
There was also a photo that emerged showing a bolt of lightning hitting St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City on Feb. 11, just hours after Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation, according to the Huffington Post.
Castel Gandolfo is best known as the summer retreat for the pope. Benedict will stay at Castel Gandolfo during the conclave of cardinals, which will ultimately decide who the new pope is.
On Monday, more than 100 cardinals from around the world began pouring into the Vatican and are discussing a day to elect the next pope, reported The New York Times.
Most of the cardinals remained silent walking into the first meeting. They took an oath on the Bible to “to keep the contents of the meetings secret at pain of excommunication,” according to the Times.
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