Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI returned to the Vatican for the first time on Thursday since he resigned on Feb. 28 to move into his retirement home.
Only their second meeting since Pope Francis’ election on March 13, Francis welcomed Benedict like his brother and the two went to the chapel to pray together immediately after his arrival. The Vatican did not release any television images of his return.
According to the Associated Press, Benedict was happy to be back and said that he is ready to “dedicate himself to the service of the church with prayer.”
In Benedict’s absence, his retirement home was prepared for him. A former convent in the gardens of the Vatican has been renovated to accommodate Benedict. His new home is a mere few hundred meters from the Vatican guesthouse where Pope Francis resides, according to The Guardian. Benedict will live in the four-story building, built with a small library, a study and a guest room, with his personal secretary, Monsignor Georg Gaenswein, and four women who look after him.
Benedict, 86, was the first Pope to voluntarily retire since 1294. The Vatican continues to report that the pope emeritus remains in good health.