Pope Benedict XVI toured St Peter’s Square in his pope mobile one last time on Wednesday in front of tens of thousands of pilgrims on the eve of his historic resignation as Pope. Over ten thousand Catholics have attended this very important ceremony in the history of the Catholic Church.

Pilgrims flocked from Africa, Europe, America and Asia to bid their final farewell to Pope Benedict, 85-years, who cut short his pontificate eight years by resigning.

The Pope resigned without bitterness but instead in sweetness and serenity. Some of the pilgrims held banners reading: “Benedict, we’ll miss you!  And the pope is the heart of this city!” The police installed metal detectors, deployed snipers on Vatican rooftops and set up field clinics. The function was held at St Peter’s Square because of the high numbers of pilgrims. The Vicar General of Rome, Cardinal Agostino Vallini was also among the pilgrims. Pope Benedict also prayed for Africa to get leaders who come and go. Africa is remaining the only continent in the world with presidents who want to rule for life. The case study is Uganda, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe among others.

Walakira Nyanzi

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