Pope: standing down for good of the church

Pope Benedict XVI arrives for his weekly general audience at the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Wednesday Feb. 13, 2013. Pope Benedict XVI is telling the faithful in his first public appearance since announcing his resignation that he stepping down for "the good of the church." Benedict received a lengthy standing ovation when he entered the packed audience hall Wednesday. He was interrupted by applause by the throngs of people, many of whom had tears in their eyes. At the start of his audience, he repeated in Italian what he had told cardinals Monday in Latin: that he simply didn't have the strength to continue. He said "I did this in full liberty for the good of the church." (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Benedict XVI has said he is standing down for “the good of the church”, as he made his first public appearance since his shock announcement that he is to tender the first papal resignation since the Middle Ages.

Amid the cheers and tears of the faithful who had turned out in force to witness his audience in the Vatican, the outgoing pontiff thanked them for their “love and prayer”.

Standing ovation

“Keep praying for me, for the church and for the future pope,” he added, after a standing ovation from the thousands of people assembled in the audience hall.

“I did this in full freedom for the good of the church after praying for a long time and examining my conscience before God,” he said.

The Pope (85), who appeared strong, said he had experienced the kindness of worshippers “almost physically”. He will later hold the Ash Wednesday Mass in St Peter’s Basilica. It had been scheduled for a smaller venue on the Aventine hill, but the plans were changed in the aftermath of his announcement.

© Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2013