[h=3]By STACY MEICHTRY[/h]VATICAN CITY—Pope Benedict XVI held the final audience of his pontificate before a sea of spectators in Saint Peter's Square on Wednesday, a farewell he said would not mark the end of his life in public.
Addressing the crowd, Pope Benedict, 85 years old, said he had "suffered" over his decision to relinquish control of Roman Catholicism's one billion followers as of Thursday evening, adding that his resignation was in the best interest of the Church.
Though he plans to retire to a life of study and prayer once he steps down, the pontiff told the crowd on Wednesday there was no going back to his pre-papal life, noting that his election eight years ago marked the end of "all privacy."
European Pressphoto AgencyArms outstretched, Pope Benedict XVI acknowledges the cheers of tens of thousands ahead of his final weekly Wednesday General Audience of his tenure at St. Peter's Square.
"There is no return to the private. My decision to renounce the active exercise of ministry doesn't revoke this. I'm not returning to a private life," Pope Benedict said, addressing the square, which thronged with banners from around the world. "I'm not abandoning the cross, but remaining in a new way beside the crucified Lord," he said.
The pope's resignation, which was announced two weeks ago, will come into effect on Thursday evening and is an event that hasn't occurred in six centuries. It shocked the rank-and-file faithful and rocked the Vatican. Yesterday, the Holy See put the finishing touches on the protocols the Church will use to address the future pope emeritus, as he will be called, as well as the vestments he'll wear.
On the cobblestones around Saint Peter's, the past week has played out as a series of final bows and last acts. On Sunday, the pope spoke from the window of the papal apartments for the last time, and on Wednesday, he mounted the ivory-painted popemobile for a final ride as its namesake passenger, gliding through a thicket of chants of "Viva, il Papa!"
In his address, the pope reflected on his election and on the tumultuous years that came in its wake. Over the course of his papacy, the pope garnered praise for his writings and drew large crowds during trips abroad. Controversy, however, loomed over his administration, including the spread of the sexual abuse crisis across the world and bouts of infighting within Vatican ranks. That tumult has drawn calls from within Vatican walls and beyond for the election of a successor, capable of reining in the Church's sprawling ranks.
[h=3]Possible Popes[/h]Review some of the men being talked about as Pope Benedict XVI's successor.
[h=3]Catholicism in the World[/h]
[h=3]Benedict XVI: Guardian of the Faith[/h]
"I felt like St. Peter aboard his boat on the Sea of Galilee: The Lord gave us many days of sun and light breeze, days in which the fish were abundant," the pope said.
"There were also moments in which the waters were agitated and the wind against us when, as in the entire history of the Church, the Lord seemed asleep," he added.
The turnout in St. Peter's Square was higher Wednesday than in many of the pope's public audiences in recent years. However, the piazza's oval contours didn't brim with faithful the way it did in the early days of his pontificate, following the death of his predecessor John Paul II.
"We have come just for this occasion to say goodbye to this pope, because he worked a lot and was very patient," said Carmen Marsal Moyano, 54, who had traveled to Rome from Madrid with her husband. The pope, she said "should have been recognized instead of criticized."
Rev. Sean Kilcawley, a 38 year-old priest from Lincoln, Nebraska, said the pope would be remembered for his teachings on subjects like the nature of love, which he said were sometimes overshadowed by controversies surrounding his papacy.
"Whenever things are reported about the Church, it's about the problems. We focus on this and forget the Lord is calling us through these problems to a deeper relationship," Father Kilcawley said, looking on as the pontiff greeted pilgrims in the square.
Once Benedict resigns on Thursday, he will be whisked by helicopter to Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence. He will return to Vatican City once the renovations are complete on his new residence: a former convent.
"I took this step in full knowledge of its gravity and novelty, but with a deep serenity in my soul," the pope said. And he added: "I'm not coming down from the cross."
Addressing the crowd, Pope Benedict, 85 years old, said he had "suffered" over his decision to relinquish control of Roman Catholicism's one billion followers as of Thursday evening, adding that his resignation was in the best interest of the Church.
Though he plans to retire to a life of study and prayer once he steps down, the pontiff told the crowd on Wednesday there was no going back to his pre-papal life, noting that his election eight years ago marked the end of "all privacy."
European Pressphoto AgencyArms outstretched, Pope Benedict XVI acknowledges the cheers of tens of thousands ahead of his final weekly Wednesday General Audience of his tenure at St. Peter's Square.
"There is no return to the private. My decision to renounce the active exercise of ministry doesn't revoke this. I'm not returning to a private life," Pope Benedict said, addressing the square, which thronged with banners from around the world. "I'm not abandoning the cross, but remaining in a new way beside the crucified Lord," he said.
The pope's resignation, which was announced two weeks ago, will come into effect on Thursday evening and is an event that hasn't occurred in six centuries. It shocked the rank-and-file faithful and rocked the Vatican. Yesterday, the Holy See put the finishing touches on the protocols the Church will use to address the future pope emeritus, as he will be called, as well as the vestments he'll wear.
On the cobblestones around Saint Peter's, the past week has played out as a series of final bows and last acts. On Sunday, the pope spoke from the window of the papal apartments for the last time, and on Wednesday, he mounted the ivory-painted popemobile for a final ride as its namesake passenger, gliding through a thicket of chants of "Viva, il Papa!"
In his address, the pope reflected on his election and on the tumultuous years that came in its wake. Over the course of his papacy, the pope garnered praise for his writings and drew large crowds during trips abroad. Controversy, however, loomed over his administration, including the spread of the sexual abuse crisis across the world and bouts of infighting within Vatican ranks. That tumult has drawn calls from within Vatican walls and beyond for the election of a successor, capable of reining in the Church's sprawling ranks.
[h=3]Possible Popes[/h]Review some of the men being talked about as Pope Benedict XVI's successor.
[h=3]Catholicism in the World[/h]
[h=3]Benedict XVI: Guardian of the Faith[/h]
"I felt like St. Peter aboard his boat on the Sea of Galilee: The Lord gave us many days of sun and light breeze, days in which the fish were abundant," the pope said.
"There were also moments in which the waters were agitated and the wind against us when, as in the entire history of the Church, the Lord seemed asleep," he added.
The turnout in St. Peter's Square was higher Wednesday than in many of the pope's public audiences in recent years. However, the piazza's oval contours didn't brim with faithful the way it did in the early days of his pontificate, following the death of his predecessor John Paul II.
"We have come just for this occasion to say goodbye to this pope, because he worked a lot and was very patient," said Carmen Marsal Moyano, 54, who had traveled to Rome from Madrid with her husband. The pope, she said "should have been recognized instead of criticized."
Rev. Sean Kilcawley, a 38 year-old priest from Lincoln, Nebraska, said the pope would be remembered for his teachings on subjects like the nature of love, which he said were sometimes overshadowed by controversies surrounding his papacy.
"Whenever things are reported about the Church, it's about the problems. We focus on this and forget the Lord is calling us through these problems to a deeper relationship," Father Kilcawley said, looking on as the pontiff greeted pilgrims in the square.
Once Benedict resigns on Thursday, he will be whisked by helicopter to Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence. He will return to Vatican City once the renovations are complete on his new residence: a former convent.
"I took this step in full knowledge of its gravity and novelty, but with a deep serenity in my soul," the pope said. And he added: "I'm not coming down from the cross."