VATICAN CITY - Celebrating what was expected to be the last
public liturgy of his pontificate two weeks before his
resignation, Pope Benedict XVI preached on the virtues of
humility and Christian unity and heard his highest-ranking
aide pay tribute to his service to the church.
Jesus "denounces religious hypocrisy, behavior that wants to
show off, attitudes that seek applause and approval," the
pope said in his homily during Mass in St. Peter's Basilica
Feb. 13. "The true disciple does not serve himself or the
'public,' but his Lord, in simplicity and generosity."
Coming two days after Pope Benedict announced that he would
be the first pope in 600 years to resign, the Mass inevitably
took on a valedictory tone.
"For me it is also a good opportunity to thank everyone,
especially the faithful of the diocese of Rome, as I prepare
to conclude the Petrine ministry, and I ask you for a special
remembrance in your prayer," the pope told the congregation,
including dozens of cardinals and bishops, filling the vast
basilica.
The Ash Wednesday liturgy, traditionally held in two churches
on Rome's Aventine Hill, was moved to St. Peter's to
accommodate the greatest possible number of faithful.
At the end of the Mass, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who as
secretary of state is the Vatican's highest official, voiced
gratitude for Pope Benedict's pontificate of nearly eight
years.
"Thank you for giving us the luminous example of a simple and
humble laborer in the vineyard of the Lord," Cardinal Bertone
said, invoking the same metaphor Pope Benedict had used in
his first public statement following his election in 2005.
His voice cracking slightly with emotion, Cardinal Bertone
described Benedict as a "laborer who knew at every moment to
do what is most important, bring God to men and bring men to
God."
Following the cardinal's remarks, the congregation broke into
a standing ovation that lasted well over a minute, ceasing
only after the pope, looking surprised but not displeased,
said: "Thank you, let's return to prayer."
The pope showed signs of the fatigue and frailty that have
become increasingly evident over the last year and a half and
which he had cited in announcing his resignation. At the
beginning of the liturgy, he walked from his sacristy near
the chapel that contains Michelangelo's statue of the Pieta
to the atrium of the basilica, but then rode his mobile
platform to the main altar.
During the Mass, Cardinal Angelo Comastri, archpriest of St.
Peter's, placed the Lenten ashes on the pope's head. The pope
himself placed ashes on the heads of several cardinals and a
group of Dominican and Benedictine priests.
The pope's last homily included a plea for harmony among his
flock, as he lamented "blows against the unity of the church,
divisions in the ecclesial body" and called for a "more
intense and evident ecclesial communion, overcoming
individualisms and rivalries." Such communion favors
evangelization, the pope said, by serving as a "humble and
precious sign for those who are distant or indifferent to the
faith."