Pope says he cannot do job alone
Pope Benedict XVI said on the first anniversary of his election as Pontiff today that he could not do the job alone, and asked for continued prayers to be the “gentle and firm” pastor of the Catholic Church.
A visibly moved Benedict told an estimated 50,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican City that his election came as a complete surprise to him, saying the cardinals had elected “my poor person” to succeed “the great Pope John Paul II”.
“I always knew I couldn’t do this job, this mission alone,” he said. “Thank you from the heart to all those who in various ways are near me or follow me spiritually with affection and prayers from afar.”
“To each one of you, I ask you to continue to support me praying to God to let me be his gentle and firm pastor of his church,” he said.
Benedict was the oldest Pope elected in 275 years and the first German one in nearly 1,000 years when he was chosen, aged 78, to succeed John Paul on April 19 last year.
As John Paul’s right-hand man, he had been a favourite going into the vote and was selected in the fastest conclave in a century: Just about 24 hours after the voting began, white smoke curled from the Sistine Chapel chimney to announce a new Pope had been found.
Still, Benedict’s election immediately posed questions about the future of the church, since the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was such a polarising figure. Some said he might further drive away more liberal-minded Catholics who had hoped for a change from the hard-line John Paul.
The Vatican this week reported that more than 4 million people have attended Benedict’s Masses, audiences and prayer appearances, including the estimated 50,000 present at today’s audience.
