Thousands gather at St. Peter’s Square to bid farewell to Pope Benedict

Huge crowds of pilgrims from around the world gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday to say goodbye to Pope Benedict the day before he becomes the first pontiff in some six centuries to step down.

The pope held his last general audience, which usually takes place in an indoor auditorium but was moved outside into the sprawling square to accommodate more people.

A strong German presence could be seen in the square, with people wearing traditional clothing from Bavaria, Benedict’s home, and German flags flying high.

German Cardinal Reinhard Marx also arrived and greeted the crowds, paying special attention to those who had travelled from the pope’s home country.

Many in the crowd, which streamed into the square across the Tiber River and along nearby streets, held up banners thanking the pope and wishing him well. They came from all over Italy and abroad.

Some 50,000 people asked for the free tickets for the event, but the crowd was larger and many people had to stand at the back. No immediate crowd estimate was available.

Many of those gathered were members of the church, with    bishops and archbishops seen arriving in their black robes from across the globe.

“It’s a little bit sad for me to be here and to say farewell to the Holy Father but I respect his decision very much because it has been taken through prayer and through different considerations,” said Archbishop George Anthony Samy from India.

“Though we are going to lose the Holy Father, but we will be with him, we will pray for the coming of the church.”

Despite the praise and sympathy for the pope from the faithful in the square, many Catholics were stunned by his decision and worry about the effect it will have on the future of a troubled church.

The Vatican has said that Benedict, who will move to the papal summer residence south of Rome on Thursday night when the papacy becomes vacant, will assume the title of “pope emeritus” and be addressed as “your holiness”.