Monday, April 25, 2005 (Philippines)

PAPAL AND GLOBAL. An open-top vehicle carries Pope Benedict XVI into a sea of camera-toting devotees in St. Peter’s Square. (AP FOTO) VATICAN CITY—At the center of the grandest religious spectacle of our times, Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed humility at facing “this enormous task, which truly exceeds all human capacity.” The former Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, 78, stressed his church’s shared bonds with Jews and other Christians, and promised followers he will not ignore their voices in leading the world’s 1.1 billion Roman Catholics. The pope’s first major homily in St. Peter’s Square was also noteworthy for what it left out: no mention of any current political issues or direct overtures toward Muslims, although he paid respects “to believers and non-believers alike.” [full story]