It is said that horses that can no longer manage their workload are sent out to pasture. Relocation to a grassy field (as opposed to the glue factory) occurs in acknowledgment of a lifetime of dutiful labour. It rewards diligence with comfort and ease: sunshine and plentiful food.

Pope Benedict XVI, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, has decided to put himself out to pasture with the papal equivalent of sun and grass being the light and nourishment provided by prayer in a monastery.