Pope Benedict blessing: Tens of thousands hear prayer

17 February 2013

 

...Tens of thousands of pilgrims have attended St Peter's Square in Rome for one of the final public appearances of Pope Benedict XVI.

He is stepping down on 28 February.

The Pope recited the Angelus prayer and thanked all those who had prayed for him and shown him support over the past few days since his resignation.

The Vatican has said it may hold the conclave that chooses the new pope early, so he can be in place before the start of Holy Week on 24 March... the rest image

Pope in Sunday address: Pray for me and next pope

The Pope Benedict I know
Years ago, I accompanied James Cardinal Hickey, then the archbishop of Washington, to St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, where then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was to give a lecture. After his lecture and after fielding questions from his audience, Cardinal Ratzinger boarded a small plane that would take him and five other passengers to Washington, where he would attend a dinner and then give another lecture. Even though he was suffering from a bad cold and the flight was quite turbulent, Cardinal Ratzinger remained calm and serene. He patiently responded to all our questions and comments during the flight and throughout the day.

At the end of a very long day, I reflected on what I had witnessed. To be sure, then-Cardinal Ratzinger delivered two brilliant lectures and answered every question addressed to him thoroughly and respectfully. But what truly impressed me were his patience, kindness and serenity. Simply put, I was impressed with his humanity and humility. These were the same qualities many other people observed as for years he walked across St. Peter's Square on his way to his office at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He never seemed too busy to stop and chat...

How knowing Latin helped one reporter to get the scoop of the century
"Qui res mundi vellet scire linguam Latinam cognosciat." If you don't know what that means, then join all the reporters who missed one of the greatest journalistic scoops of the 21st century. When Pope Benedict XVI recently abdicated the papacy, he did it in a speech that was supposed to be about the canonization of three saints. But all of a sudden, he began almost whispering in Latin. Giovanna Chirri, the Vatican reporter for ANSA, the leading news wire service in Italy, was covering the regularly scheduled speech. She immediately realized what the Pope was saying...