Benedict XVI will retain the title "His Holiness"

Pope Benedict XVI will have the title "Pope Emeritus" and the honorary title "His Holiness" after his retirement, Vatican officials announced on Tuesday.

He will retain his papal name Benedict XVI and will not revert to the secular name of Joseph Ratzinger.

He will wear a white uniform without a cloak and special decorations, Al-Jazeera reported.

Benedict XVI will return his gold ring, a symbol of the papal position, and his personal seal will be destroyed, as tradition dictates.

He will no longer wear specially made red shoes, but brown shoes, which were made for him by a shoemaker in Mexico during the visit of the head of the Catholic Church to that country last year.

Benedict XVI will no longer wear specially made red shoes, but brown shoes, made for him by a shoemaker in Mexico

Benedict XVI's resignation, which takes effect on February 28, is the first by a pope in nearly 600 years.

Correspondents report that the pope will spend his last hours in office at the Vatican residence, where he will say goodbye to the cardinals who have been my closest collaborators during the eight years of his pontificate.

Benedict's archive of personal documents will be packed away at 20pm on Thursday, and the Swiss Guard on duty at his Castel Gandolfo residence will be disbanded and replaced by Vatican police.

This will formally end Benedict's mandate and begin the transition period until the election of a new pope next month.

Members of the College of Cardinals will meet on March 4 to decide when to begin the conclave, the secret meeting where the new head of the Catholic Church is elected.