Grazie Santita: Thousands thank the Pope

The Pope was met by standing ovations in his first public appearance since announcing his resignation. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Source: AP

POPE Benedict XVI yesterday made his first public appearance since he shocked the world with the announcement of his resignation asking the faithful to "pray for me".

Thousands of followers filled the Vatican for a general audience and blessing with the pope who overnight will also conduct his final public mass for Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent and one of the holiest periods of the Catholic calendar culminating in Easter Sunday.

The Vatican's 6300-seat auditorium was crammed to capacity and then some, from ordinary Roman citizens to pilgrims and clergy from around the world for a glimpse and blessing from the Pope.

There were school groups from England, France, Denmark and Vietnam, choirs from the United States, Brazil and Spain and thousands of pilgrims from Latin America.

When His Holiness entered the hall he was met with rapturous applause and cheering. There were intense scenes of devotion from the faithful, many weeping with emotion others holding babies and toddlers and religious articles high for perhaps their first and last Benedict blessing.

The Pope arrives for his weekly general audience. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

The thunderous reception to his appearance on stage seemed to last a lifetime, the crescendo of applause rising when he gave his two handed wave to the faithful. A visiting German brass band resplendent in lederhosen played on during the melee as the cheering continued and choirs from around the world broke into spontaneous a Capella song.

There was great appreciation of the historic significance of a resigning pope effectively saying farewell. He is the first pope to leave office not through death in 600 years so the first able to say goodbye to the masses.

The 85-year-old pope walked on stage unaided and spoke firmly as he read a blessing in various languages. He looked weary but in good health as he gave lengthy oratory in five different languages.

He repeated what he had told cardinals three days earlier of his resignation.

The Pope takes a break during his weekly general audience at the Vatican. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

"I did this in full liberty for the good of the church," he said.

He said he could feel the love of the faithful in "these difficult days" since he resigned and asked "keep praying for me, for the Church and for the future pope" to applause and yelling of "il papa" and "Grazie Santita" (thankyou Your Holiness).

He then offered his blessings, particularly the sick and the young and for the holy Easter period which began yesterday.

Hours before the address, queues outside formed on the fringes of St Peter Square where large screens had been erected to broadcast scenes live.

"It is the perfect occasion to give a cordial and affectionate goodbye to this pope who has given us a great example of courage, humility, inner honesty, and a great love for the church," said Monsignor Claudio Maria Celli, head of the Vatican's communications office.

There will be a new pope presiding over Easter on March 31 after Benedict's bombshell announcement on Monday that he would stand down as pontiff, the first to do so in almost six centuries, on February 28.

The mass he is expected to hold overnight is usually held at Rome's Santa Sabina Church on Aventine Hill but was moved at the last minute to St Peter's Basilica to accommodate the overwhelming response to his resignation.

It will also ensure the Pope's frailty is not tested as the Aventine mass usually involves a lengthy public procession to the church.

Today, the Pope will meet with local Roman parish priests and deliver his personal views of the Second Vatican Council which introduced sweeping reforms to modernize the church. There will be a final general public audience on February 27 before retires the next day and the process begins to elect a new pope with Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone governing the church in the transition period. Cardinals have already begun the lobbying for the position, flocking to Rome to begin discussions ahead of the formal secret conclave vote in the Sistine Chapel sometime after February 28.

While thousands of pilgrims and tourists flood St Peter's Square by day at night hundreds more, mostly locals from Italy but also Spain, continue to chant his name, wave candles and sing songs outside the window of the Vatican offices. It's a vigil expected to continue until he steps down.

Vatican police were yesterday erecting barricades to control the crowds and international media.

Two blocks away an impromptu media camp of dozens of satellite trucks beam feeds and live crosses from St Peter's Square to around the world.
 

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