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VATICAN CITY — In his first public appearance since the stunning announcement of his resignation two days ago, Pope Benedict XVI said on Wednesday that he had made his decision “in full liberty for the good of the church” because he no longer had the strength needed to carry out the duties of the papacy.
VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI presided over Ash Wednesday services, his final public Mass, at St. Peter’s Basilica, thanking the faithful for their support during his nearly eight-year pontificate, which will end on Feb. 28 when he becomes the first pope to resign in almost 600 years.
Clad in simple white robes and a skullcap at a general audience in the Vatican, the pope spoke as Christians began Lent, the 40-day period of fasting and prayer preceding Easter. Later he celebrated Ash Wednesday Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, an event that his aides said would probably be his final major Mass in the huge edifice before his retirement.
The basilica was packed for the occasion as the pope, dressed in the traditional purple robes worn at Lent, the 40-day period of fasting and prayer preceding Easter, celebrated a solemn Mass attended by a number of the cardinals who will be called on to choose his successor in just over a month.
The basilica was packed for the occasion, and the pope presided in the purple robes that priests traditionally wear during Lent. The Ash Wednesday Mass has usually been celebrated by the pope in a midsized church on the Aventine Hill in Rome, but the venue was changed after the pope announced his resignation, to allow more people to attend the service.
Among them was Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican’s secretary of state, who at the end of the service addressed the pope’s unexpected decision to step down. “We wouldn’t be sincere, your holiness, if we didn’t tell you that this evening there is a veil of sadness in our hearts,” Cardinal Bertone said, his voice breaking.
The pope walked into the basilica unaided, but then stood on a wheeled platform that transported him among the many congregants in the immense basilica.
He praised the pope’s “strong faith” and “great courage” that led him to make a decision that was guided by Benedict’s “deep love” for God and the church.
The announcement on Monday of the first papal resignation in almost 600 years touched off a behind-the-scenes contest among the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church to succeed him.
The congregants burst into a deafening standing ovation that lasted for minutes and continued as Benedict left the basilica, standing on a wheeled platform, smiling and waving at the people lining the nave of the cavernous Baroque church. Many wiped away tears.
The conclave to choose the next pope will begin in mid-March, 15 to 20 days after Benedict steps down, and a new leader of the church is expected to be in place by Easter, which falls on March 31 this year.
Earlier, an equally enthusiastic crowd greeted Benedict at his weekly audience at the Vatican. It was his first public appearance since the announcement of his resignation two days before, and one of the dwindling opportunities for his followers to see and hear him before he withdraws into a far more sheltered life in a convent within the Vatican, where an apartment is being prepared for him.
The Rev. Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said the cardinals would begin to meet before the conclave in plenary sessions for discussions so that they go into the conclave “informed.”
The pope told the faithful that he had made his decision “in full freedom for the good of the church” because he no longer had the strength needed to carry out the duties of the papacy, and he reassured them that his choice would not damage the church.
As that drama plays out, Benedict himself will spend his final day as pope, Feb. 28, bidding farewell to cardinals in the morning. Then he plans to fly by helicopter in the afternoon to the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, in the hills outside Rome, where he will be when his resignation takes effect at 8 p.m. local time, Father Lombardi said.
“I am strengthened and reassured by the certainty that the church is Christ’s, who will never leave her without his guidance and care,” the pope said. “I thank all of you for the love and for the prayers with which you have accompanied me. Thank you. In these days which have not been easy for me, I have felt almost physically the power of prayer — your prayers — which the love of the church has given me. Continue to pray for me, for the church and for the future pope. The Lord will guide us.”
His meeting with cardinals on Feb. 28 will be informal, “not solemn” and “very personal,” according to Father Lombardi, who has said Benedict will not seek to influence their decision about a successor, even though many of them are kindred conservatives, appointed either by him or by John Paul II.
A huge banner at the rear of the Vatican’s Paul VI audience hall, which can hold around 8,000 people, proclaimed “Thanks Your Holiness.”
Father Lombardi said at a news conference here that the pope would hold scheduled audiences with the Romanian and Guatemalan presidents this week and with the Italian president on Feb. 23.
Francesca Meggiorini of Verona, Italy, one of the many Catholics who gathered for a last glimpse of the pope, said she had brought her four children because “this is special.”
But there will be no formal ceremony of resignation, he said, because Benedict has already fulfilled the canonical requirements for his departure by affirming publicly and in Latin — as he did to an assembly of cardinals on Monday — that he was resigning of his own free will.
Father Lombardi said Benedict decided to repeat his decision on Wednesday before an “assembly of people of God” at his scheduled weekly audience, but the spokesman declined to respond directly to the question of whether the pope would receive a pension. Father Lombardi said the church would “obviously ensure that he would be looked after satisfactorily,” but that “he’s not going to be a burden on the expenses of the Holy See.”
Earlier, a cheering crowd greeted the pope with a standing ovation as he entered the Vatican’s cavernous Paul VI audience hall, which has a capacity of around 8,000. A huge banner at the rear proclaimed, “Thanks, Your Holiness.” He smiled often, and thanked an Italian children’s choir that sang for him in German, his native tongue, saying, “The gift of singing songs is particularly dear to me.”
Before reaching his decision to resign, the pope said, he prayed and examined his conscience for a long time. Referring to the papacy, he said he had been “well aware of the seriousness of this act, but also aware of the fact that I am no longer capable of carrying out Peter’s Ministry with the strength needed.”
“The certainty that the church belongs to God supports and illuminates me, and Christ will always give his guidance and care,” he told the audience. “I thank you all for your love and prayer with which you’ve accompanied me. Please keep praying for the pope and the church. I felt it almost physically, throughout these days that were not easy for me. Keep praying for me, for the church and for the future pope. The Lord will guide us.”The pope’s appearances on Wednesday offered his followers a chance to see and hear him before he withdraws into a far more sheltered life in a former convent within the Vatican walls, where an apartment has been prepared for him.
Still unclear, however, are some of the practical consequences of Benedict’s decision, Vatican officials have acknowledged, including how the former pope will be addressed and what to do with the papal ring used to seal important documents, traditionally destroyed upon a pope’s death.
Officials also disclosed on Tuesday that the pope had been fitted with a cardiac pacemaker a decade ago, but said that it had not been a major health issue and had not contributed to his reasons for resigning.
On Wednesday, thousands of Catholics gathered near the Vatican for a glimpse of the departing pope, including Francesca Meggiorini of Verona, who had brought her four children with her because, she said, “this is special.”
“I wanted my kids to be present,” she added. “The pope was a man whose simple words went straight to the heart. So it’s wonderful for my children to be here. I think this experience will remain in their memory.”
“I wanted my kids to be present,” she added. “The pope was a man whose simple words went straight to the heart. So it’s wonderful for my children to be here. I think this experience will remain in their memory.”
Kevin Murphy, on a pilgrimage from St. Benedict’s School in Bury St. Edmunds in eastern England, called Benedict “a great moral and spiritual leader.” And Fabio Semeraro, a ballet dancer from Rome, said he came to see the pope “because it’s an important event — you get attached to a pope, but then again, after, there will be another.”
Kevin Murphy, on a pilgrimage from the St. Benedict Catholic School in Bury St. Edmunds, in eastern England, called Benedict “a great moral and spiritual leader.” And Fabio Semeraro, a ballet dancer from Rome, said he came to see Benedict “because it’s an important event.”
When he leaves the papacy at the end of the month, Benedict will retire initially to Castel Gandolfo before moving to the former Mater Ecclesiae convent, a plain four-story structure built 21 years ago to serve as an international place “for contemplative life within the walls of Vatican City,” as it is described on a Vatican Web site.
“You get attached to a pope,” he said, “but then again, after, there will be another.”
Workers began transforming the building into a residence in November, after the cloistered nuns who had occupied the convent left, Father Lombardi said. He did not tip his hand about whether the renovations were carried out with the pontiff in mind as the future occupant. “The pope knew this place, this building, and thought it was appropriate for his needs,” he said.
At a news conference on Wednesday, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said that the conclave to choose the next pope would begin 15 to 20 days after the pope resigns, and a new leader of the church is expected to be in place by Easter, on March 31. But the cardinals, he said, would begin to meet beforehand in plenary sessions for discussions so that they would be informed as they go into the conclave.
As that process plays out, Benedict himself will spend his final day as pope bidding farewell to cardinals in the morning. Then he plans to fly by helicopter in the afternoon to the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, in the hills outside Rome, where he will be when his resignation takes effect at 8 p.m. local time, Father Lombardi said.
The pope will then move into the convent, where his presence should be of comfort to his successor, Father Lombardi said.
“It is a wise solution for Benedict to stay in Vatican City, where he can pray, study and have personal contacts, “ Father Lombardi said. “The successor and the cardinals will be happy to have very nearby someone who knows well what the spiritual needs of the church are.”
Elisabetta Povoledo reported from Vatican City, and Alan Cowell from Paris. Gaia Pianigiani contributed reporting from Rome.
Elisabetta Povoledo reported from Vatican City, and Alan Cowell from Paris. Gaia Pianigiani contributed reporting from Rome.
