Benedict XVI's reign as pope has come to an end amid the ringing of church bells in Vatican City.
The Swiss Guards went off duty on Thursday at 19:00 GMT after closing the high doors to the papal palace.
From his temporary quarters in Italy's Castel Gandolfo, Benedict thanked the tens of thousands of people gathered there on Thursday for "surrounding him with warmth".
"I am simply a pilgrim who is ending his path on this earth," he said. "Let's go forward in prayer with Christ."Thank you and good night."
And in a final message from his own Twitter account, Benedict said: "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, who was elected as pope on April 19, 2005, earlier met cardinals from around the world in his final hours as leader of 1.1 billion Catholics, and promised "unconditional reverence and obedience'' to his successor.
He urged his cardinals to work in unity so that the College of Cardinals is "like an orchestra'' where "agreement and harmony'' can be reached - a clear message to the conclave that will pick the next pope.
He said he would pray for the cardinals in coming days and weeks as they choose his successor.
Between Benedict's resignation and the election of the next pope, the cardinal, referred to as the "Chamberlain", Italy's Tarcisio Bertone, will run the day-to-day affairs of the church.
On Monday the Cardinals will meet and determine the date of the conclave that would choose the 266th pope.
An estimated 100 cardinals were present at the private meeting, Al Jazeera's Paul Brennan reported from Rome.
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