Victor Val Mas Lighting and Helicopters On February 28, a violent storm approaches the eternal city. Immense gray cumulus clouds slowly start to dominate the sky. Rome darkens as the late evening sunlight is blocked by the menacing clouds. In the distance, behind the cupola of St Peters basilica, the skyline becomes obscured as rain can be seen pouring over the Castelli, Rome’s surrounding hills. At 136 meters in height, Michelangelo’s cupola towers over the nearby buildings, reaching the sky. The surroundings erupt with thunder and lightning. Bolts of electricity light up the sky and thunder jostles the earth. Lightning strikes the cupola of St. Peter’s basilica, the epicenter of Christianity, and the pope resigns. It’s been 598 years since the resignation of Gregory XII, and this time Benedict XVI might have set a precedent that will be hard to ignore. Benedict XVI became the oldest cardinal to have been elected pope since Clement XII in 1730. Claiming old age Pope Bened ict decided to step down just 8 y ears after starting his mandate. In one of the biggest media events of the year, the Pope boarded a helicopter to leave the Vatican and retire to the Pope’s summer residence, leaving behind the burden of having one of the world’s most powerf ul positions. The perfectly choreographed takeoff and meticulously planned flight path was Rome’s biggest advertisement of the year. The papal helicopter, lent by the Italian police, hovered over Rome’s most emblematic buildings, zigzagged over the Tiber and skimmed the Coliseum. The pope waved and his helicopter rose into the sky. During his papacy, Pope Benedict XVI had hoped to avoid controversy, yet he found himself having to confront sex abuse scandals, complots from within and corruption in the Vatican bank. Pope Benedict first