Pope Benedict XVI bid an emotional farewell at his last general audience on Wednesday, saying he understood the gravity of his decision to become the first pontiff to resign in 600 years, but said he had done it for the good of the Roman Catholic Church.
Addressing an estimated 150,000 people at St. Peter’s Square the day before he steps down, the Pope said his crisis-hit papacy had included moments of joy but also difficulty when “it seemed like the Lord was sleeping”.
Sitting on an ivory-coloured throne on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica at his last public appearance, frequently interrupted by the crowd’s applause, the pontiff said: “There were moments when the waters were choppy and there were headwinds.”
When he finished, the crowd, including many red-hatted cardinals, stood to clap.
Benedict will abdicate on Thursday night, after which the cardinals begin consultations ahead of a conclave to choose his successor.
He said loving the Church meant “having the courage to take difficult and anguished choices, always having in mind the good of the Church and not oneself”.