Pope Benedict XVI held his last appearance in St Peter’s Square

Vatican City: Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday held his last audience appearance in St Peter’s Square before tens of thousands of pilgrims on the eve of his historic resignation.
Benedict toured the Vatican plaza in his famous “popemobile”, stopping to kiss children and waving to the crowd of more than 100,000 gathered under a bright, cloudless sky.

“The Lord gave us days of sun and of light breeze, days in which the fishing was good. There were also moments when there were stormy waters and headwinds,” the pope said. “But I always knew that God was in that boat and I always knew that the boat of the Church is not mine, is not ours, but is his and he will not let it sink,” the leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics told the cheering crowd.

The Vicar General of Rome, cardinal Agostino Vallini, said residents of the Italian capital were turning out in great numbers because they felt a special bond with the ageing pope. “It is something our heart and our faith demands,” Vallini told Vatican Radio ahead of the event.

“Rome likes the pope a lot and feels a special affection for him so it could not miss his last public act,” he said. Benedict’s resignation is a break with Catholic tradition that has worried conservatives but kindled the hopes of Catholics around the world who want a successor who will breathe new life into the Church.

Rome has been gripped by speculation over what prompted Benedict to resign and who the leading candidates might be to replace him, as cardinals from around the world fly in ahead of the conclave to elect the next pope. Rumours and counter-rumours in the Italian media suggest cut-throat behind-the-scenes lobbying, prompting the Vatican to condemn what it has called “unacceptable pressure” to influence the papal election.