Pope calls for 'respect of opinions'
January 20 2008

Vatican City - More than 100 000 people sent up loud cheers on Sunday as Pope Benedict XVI urged academics to be "respectful of the opinions of others" following an anti-clerical protest led by physics professors in Rome last week.

"I encourage all of you, dear academics, to always be respectful of the opinions of others, and to seek the truth and the good with an open and responsible mind," the pope said to a packed St Peter's Square following his weekly Angelus blessing.

The 80-year-old pontiff decided to cancel a speech planned at Rome's La Sapienza University last Thursday after dozens of professors and students protested his presence at the secular school.

"I want especially to salute university youths, professors and all of you who have come today in such large numbers to St Peter's Square to... express your solidarity," the pope said, recalling that he himself was a professor of theology "who has met so many students in my life."

'I encourage all of you, dear academics, to always be respectful of the opinions of others'Carrying signs reading "Holy Father We Love You" and "Long Live Freedom of Thought," the pilgrims, including La Sapienza students, filled the famous piazza in sunny winter weather, numbering some 200 000 according to a Vatican spokesperson.
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