Tyler, TX-- For 8 minutes straight, you could hear bells echoing in downtown Tyler.
"Each minute was to represent every year of his pontificate," Father Anthony McLaughlin, with the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, said.
Today the Cathedral honored Benedict's 8 years of service to the Catholic church. "Benedict has been such a wonderful Pope to the church. He's a man of great love of Christ, and a man of great prayer of spirituality," McLaughlin said.
Old and young alike gathered to pray over the ending of an era, and beginning of a new.
"It's a fantastic opportunity to witness history," Beverly Ohren, of Tyler, said.
Pope Benedict promised to revere and obey his successor in his farewell. He also said he plans to stay hidden from the world, dedicating his life to prayer.
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TYLER (TYLER MORNING TELEGRAPH) - Pope Benedict XVI's term will officially end at 8 p.m. Roman time, or 1 p.m. local time, today.
At that hour, the bells of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Tyler will be rung for eight consecutive minutes in honor of the eight years Benedict XVI sat on the Throne of St. Peter and led the Catholic Church.
After the eight minutes, Fr. Anthony McLaughlin, rector of the Cathedral, will lead a brief prayer service to give thanks to God for the service of the pope, and to ask the Holy Spirit to guide the Cardinal-Electors as they gather in Rome to elect a new Supreme Pontiff.
Pope Benedict XVI
Ringing of the bell at Cathedral/CBS19 photo
