Papal apartment will not be ready for new Pontiff
March 08, 2013
When a new Pope is elected, he will not be able to move immediately into the papal apartment on the 3rd floor of the apostolic palace, a Vatican spokesman has revealed.
The papal apartments were sealed when the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI took effect on February 28. The rooms will need some renovations, said Father Federico Lombardi, the director of the Vatican press office. Workers may make other alterations to suit the particular needs and preferences of the new Pontiff.
As a result, Father Lombardi said, the new Pope will probably spend the first few weeks of his pontificate in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the residence where all the cardinal-electors are being housed during the conclave. A suite of rooms has been prepared for that purpose.
The delay in preparing the papal apartments is not unusual. Pope Benedict XVI stayed in the Domus Sanctae Marthae after his election in 2005 while renovations were completed.
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