Pope bids farewell to emotional
crowd
Pope
Benedict XVI on Wednesday admitted “stormy waters” during his papacy as he gave
his farewell speech in St Peter’s Square before tens of thousands of pilgrims
on the eve of his momentous resignation.
A
smiling Benedict looked relaxed as his white “popemobile” bore him through the
famous plaza where more than 150,000 people had gathered under a bright,
cloudless sky for his historic sendoff.
A
woman clutching a rosary wiped away tears as the octogenarian Benedict passed.
One of the hundreds of cardinals and bishops in their red and purple-sashed
robes could also be seen tearing up.
Some
in the throng held up huge banners with messages such as “Benedict, we’ll miss
you!” and “The pope is the heart of this city!” or waved the Vatican’s yellow
and white flag at the pontiff’s last public event.
A
hush fell over the sea of pilgrims as the pope began speaking.
Benedict
drew an analogy between his reign and a miracle recounted in the Bible when
Jesus Christ calmed the waters as he was sailing on a fishing boat with his
disciples including St Peter — who is believed by Christians to be the first
pope.
“The
Lord gave us days of sun and of light breeze, days in which the fishing was
good. There were also moments when there were stormy waters and headwinds… as
if God was sleeping,” the pope said in an apparent reference to the multiple
scandals that have plagued his reign.
“But
I always knew that God was in that boat and I always knew that the boat of the
Church is not mine, is not ours, but is his and he will not let it sink,” the
leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics told the cheering crowd.
Benedict
also said his decision to resign — which makes him the first pope to do so
since the Middle Ages — had not been an easy one but had been taken for the
good of the Church.
“I
took this step in full awareness of its gravity and novelty but with profound
serenity of spirit,” he said, adding: “I will continue to accompany the Church
with prayer and reflection.”
The
frail 85-year-old stunned the world with his abrupt decision to end an
eight-year reign dogged by scandal and Vatican infighting, declaring he was too
weak to keep up with the modern world.
The
scourge of paedophile priests and cover-ups by their superiors cast a
dark shadow over Benedict’s papacy, combined with a longstanding
money-laundering scandal at the Vatican bank, which exposed infighting among
Benedict’s closest allies.
What
observers said may have been the last straw was the scandal that came to be
known as “Vatileaks”, in which his trusted butler leaked secret papal memos
revealing intrigues between rival groups of cardinals.
But
Wednesday’s crowds did not dwell on the scandals.
“I
have come in gratitude for everything he has done these past eight years,” said
Father Giulio, a 67-year-old priest from the Abruzzo region.
“Resigning
is a powerful message for every Christian. He resigned without bitterness but
instead in sweetness and serenity,” he said.
Giuseppe
Fan, a Vietnamese seminarian, stood on tiptoe on the steps of one of the
square’s fountains for a better view.
“I
love the pope,” he told AFP. “I’m sad that he’s leaving, but he has made a
grand gesture of love for the Church.”
A
top Vatican prelate, Rino Fisichella, praised Benedict’s speech as a “true hymn
to the Church”.
The
pope “has put all his faith in the hands of the spirit (in) a great testimony
of faith,” said Fisichella, who heads the Pontifical Council for the New
Evangelisation.
Benedict’s
resignation is a break with Catholic tradition that has worried conservatives
but kindled the hopes of Catholics around the world who want a successor who
will breathe new life into the Church.
Sharon
Clark, a tourist from the United States, told AFP: “I admire Benedict, but I
hope the next pope will have the strength to unite the Church and help it grow
again — and bring back a bit of morality.”
While
most appeared to accept the pope’s imminent departure, at least one banner
pleaded: “Benedict, change your mind!”
But
Jan Graubner, archbishop of Olomouc, Czech Republic, said that while he was sad
to see the pope leave, “gratitude outweighs sadness because I see that the Holy
Father wants this. It’s his will.”
Later
Wednesday the pope followed up his farewell speech with what the Vatican said
would be one of his last Tweets: “If only everyone could experience the joy of
being Christian, being loved by God who gave his Son for us!” the pope wrote.
The
Vatican has said Benedict will receive the title of “Roman pontiff emeritus”
and can still be addressed as “Your Holiness” and wear the white papal cassock
after he officially steps down at 1900 GMT on Thursday.
Rome
has been gripped by speculation over who the leading candidates might be to
replace him — the so-called “papabili” — as cardinals from around the world fly
in ahead of the conclave to elect the next pope.
Rumours
and counter-rumours in the Italian media suggest cloak-and-dagger lobbying,
prompting the Vatican to condemn what it has called “unacceptable pressure” to
influence the papal election.
Campaign
groups have also lobbied the Vatican to exclude two cardinals accused of
covering up child sex abuse from the upcoming election conclave.
A
total of 115 “cardinal electors” are scheduled to take part in next month’s
conclave to choose a successor to Benedict.
PUNCH
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