Benedict XVI's Final General Audience

Vatican Information Service ^ | February 27, 2013 | Benedict XVI

[ELS]

Vatican City, 27 February 2013 (VIS) – Today, Benedict XVI celebrated his last general audience. In St. Peter's Square, crowded with tens of thousands of people wishing to bid him farewell, the Pontiff said: “Thank you for coming in such large numbers to this, my last general audience. Thank you, I am truly moved! And I see the Church is alive! I think we also have to thank the Creator for the beautiful weather that He is giving us now, even in winter.”

Following is the entire text of the Holy Father's words.

Like the Apostle Paul in the Biblical text that we have heard, I feel in my heart that I have to especially thank God who guides and builds up the Church, who plants His Word and thus nourishes the faith in His people. At this moment my heart expands and embraces the whole Church throughout the world and I thank God for the 'news' that, in these years of my Petrine ministry, I have received about the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and for the love that truly circulates in the Body of the Church, making it to live in the love and the hope that opens us to and guides us towards the fullness of life, towards our heavenly homeland.

I feel that I am carrying everyone with me in prayer in this God-given moment when I am collecting every meeting, every trip, every pastoral visit. I am gathering everyone and everything in prayer to entrust it to the Lord: so that we may be filled with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding in order to live in a manner worthy of the Lord and His love, bearing fruit in every good work (cf. Col 1:9-10).

At this moment I have great confidence because I know, we all know, that the Gospel's Word of truth is the strength of the Church; it is her life. The Gospel purifies and renews, bearing fruit, wherever the community of believers hears it and welcomes God's grace in truth and in love. This is my confidence, this is my joy.

When, on 19 April almost eight years ago I accepted to take on the Petrine ministry, I had the firm certainty that has always accompanied me: this certainty for the life of the Church from the Word of God. At that moment, as I have already expressed many times, the words that resounded in my heart were: Lord, what do You ask of me? It is a great weight that You are placing on my shoulders but, if You ask it of me, I will cast my nets at your command, confident that You will guide me, even with all my weaknesses. And eight years later I can say that the Lord has guided me. He has been close to me. I have felt His presence every day. It has been a stretch of the Church's path that has had moments of joy and light, but also difficult moments. I felt like St. Peter and the Apostles in the boat on the See of Galilee. The Lord has given us many days of sunshine and light breezes, days when the fishing was plentiful, but also times when the water was rough and the winds against us, just as throughout the whole history of the Church, when the Lord seemed to be sleeping. But I always knew that the Lord is in that boat and I always knew that the boat of the Church is not mine, not ours, but is His. And the Lord will not let it sink. He is the one who steers her, of course also through those He has chosen because that is how He wanted it. This was and is a certainty that nothing can tarnish. And that is why my heart today is filled with gratitude to God, because He never left—the whole Church or me—without His consolation, His light, or His love.

We are in the Year of Faith, which I desired precisely in order to strengthen our faith in God in a context that seems to relegate it more and more to the background. I would like to invite everyone to renew their firm trust in the Lord, to entrust ourselves like children to God's arms, certain that those arms always hold us up and are what allow us to walk forward each day, even when it is a struggle. I would like everyone to feel beloved of that God who gave His Son for us and who has shown us His boundless love. I would like everyone to feel the joy of being Christian. In a beautiful prayer, which can be recited every morning, say: 'I adore you, my God and I love you with all my heart. Thank you for having created me, for having made me Christian...' Yes, we are happy for the gift of faith. It is the most precious thing, which no one can take from us! Let us thank the Lord for this every day, with prayer and with a coherent Christian life. God loves us, but awaits us to also love Him!

It is not only God who I wish to thank at this time. A pope is not alone in guiding Peter's barque, even if it is his primary responsibility. I have never felt alone in bearing the joy and the weight of the Petrine ministry. The Lord has placed at my side so many people who, with generosity and love for God and the Church, have helped me and been close to me. First of all, you, dear Brother Cardinals: your wisdom, your advice, and your friendship have been precious to me. My collaborators, starting with my Secretary of State who has accompanied me faithfully over the years; the Secretariat of State and the whole of the Roman Curia, as well as all those who, in their various areas, serve the Holy See. There are many faces that are never seen, remaining in obscurity, but precisely in their silence, in their daily dedication in a spirit of faith and humility, they were a sure and reliable support to me. A special thought goes to the Church of Rome, my diocese! I cannot forget my brothers in the episcopate and in the priesthood, consecrated persons, and the entire People of God. In my pastoral visits, meetings, audiences, and trips I always felt great care and deep affection, but I have also loved each and every one of you, without exception, with that pastoral love that is the heart of every pastor, especially the Bishop of Rome, the Successor of the Apostle Peter. Every day I held each of you in prayer, with a father's heart.

I wish to send my greetings and my thanks to all: a pope's heart extends to the whole world. And I would like to express my gratitude to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See, which makes the great family of nations present here. Here I am also thinking of all those who work for good communication and I thank them for their important service.

At this point I would also like to wholeheartedly thank all of the many people around the world who, in recent weeks, have sent me touching tokens of concern, friendship, and prayer. Yes, the Pope is never alone. I feel this again now in such a great way that it touches my heart. The Pope belongs to everyone and many people feel very close to him. It's true that I receive letters from the world's notables—from heads of states, from religious leaders, from representatives of the world of culture, etc. But I also receive many letters from ordinary people who write to me simply from their hearts and make me feel their affection, which is born of our being together with Christ Jesus, in the Church. These people do not write to me the way one would write, for example, to a prince or a dignitary that they don't know. They write to me as brothers and sisters or as sons and daughters, with the sense of a very affectionate family tie. In this you can touch what the Church is—not an organization, not an association for religious or humanitarian ends, but a living body, a communion of brothers and sisters in the Body of Jesus Christ who unites us all. Experiencing the Church in this way and being able to almost touch with our hands the strength of His truth and His love is a reason for joy at a time when many are speaking of its decline. See how the Church is alive today!

In these last months I have felt that my strength had diminished and I asked God earnestly in prayer to enlighten me with His light to make me make the right decision, not for my own good, but for the good of the Church. I have taken this step in full awareness of its seriousness and also its newness, but with a profound peace of mind. Loving the Church also means having the courage to make difficult, agonized choices, always keeping in mind the good of the Church, not of oneself.

Allow me here to return once again to 19 April, 2005. The gravity of the decision lay precisely in the fact that, from that moment on, I was always and for always engaged by the Lord. Always—whoever assumes the Petrine ministry no longer has any privacy. He belongs always and entirely to everyone, to the whole Church. His life, so to speak, is totally deprived of its private dimension. I experienced, and I am experiencing it precisely now, that one receives life precisely when they give it. Before I said that many people who love the Lord also love St. Peter's Successor and are fond of him; that the Pope truly has brothers and sisters, sons and daughters all over the world and that he feels safe in the embrace of their communion; because he no longer belongs to himself but he belongs to all and all belong to him.

'Always' is also 'forever'--there is no return to private life. My decision to renounce the active exercise of the ministry does not revoke this. I am not returning to private life, to a life of trips, meetings, receptions, conferences, etc. I am not abandoning the cross, but am remaining beside the Crucified Lord in a new way. I no longer bear the power of the office for the governance of the Church, but I remain in the service of prayer, within St. Peter's paddock, so to speak. St. Benedict, whose name I bear as Pope, will be a great example to me in this. He has shown us the way for a life that, active or passive, belongs wholly to God's work.

I also thank each and every one of you for the respect and understanding with which you have received this important decision. I will continue to accompany the Church's journey through prayer and reflection, with the dedication to the Lord and His Bride that I have tried to live every day up to now and that I want to always live. I ask you to remember me to God, and above all to pray for the Cardinals who are called to such an important task, and for the new Successor of the Apostle Peter. Many the Lord accompany him with the light and strength of His Spirit.

We call upon the maternal intercession of Mary, the Mother of God and of the Church, that she might accompany each of us and the entire ecclesial community. We entrust ourselves to her with deep confidence.

Dear friends! God guides His Church, always sustaining her even and especially in difficult times. Let us never lose this vision of faith, which is the only true vision of the path of the Church and of the world. In our hearts, in the heart of each one of you, may there always be the joyous certainty that the Lord is beside us, that He does not abandon us, that He is near and embraces us with His love. Thank you.

Published by VISarchive 02

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[To the English speaking pilgrims the Holy Father said:] (N.B. This link is to the Vatican's archival page for the audience text in English. Right now it only has the English pilgrims' greeting, but eventually it will have the entire text of the audience. Why they haven't gotten the English translation from the VIS that I posted above is above my pay grade. ELS)

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I offer a warm and affectionate greeting to the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors who have joined me for this, my last general audience. Like Saint Paul, whose words we heard earlier, my heart is filled with thanksgiving to God who ever watches over His Church and her growth in faith and love, and I embrace all of you with joy and gratitude.

During this Year of Faith, we have been called to renew our joyful trust in the Lord’s presence in our lives and in the life of the Church. I am personally grateful for His unfailing love and guidance in the eight years since I accepted His call to serve as the Successor of Peter. I am also deeply grateful for the understanding, support and prayers of so many of you, not only here in Rome, but also throughout the world.

The decision I have made, after much prayer, is the fruit of a serene trust in God’s will and a deep love of Christ’s Church. I will continue to accompany the Church with my prayers, and I ask each of you to pray for me and for the new Pope. In union with Mary and all the saints, let us entrust ourselves in faith and hope to God, who continues to watch over our lives and to guide the journey of the Church and our world along the paths of history.

I commend all of you, with great affection, to His loving care, asking Him to strengthen you in the hope which opens our hearts to the fullness of life that He alone can give. To you and your families, I impart my blessing. Thank you!

© Copyright 2013 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

[ELS]

Video of audience - The piazza was packed. It was a beautiful sunny day in Rome.
[N.B. I can't get the full video of the audience - "Udienza Generale" - to load at the moment. It could be due to high demand. However, shorter video clips are available if one clicks on the "Video" button. They do load and play for me. YMMV. ELS 2/13/13 I was able to get the full video to load later at a different computer. 2/27/13]

A short video clip (0:42) from Reuters


Pope Benedict XVI waves to the faithful as he arrives in St. Peter's Square to hold his last general audience at the Vatican, February 27, 2013. The weekly event which would normally be held in a vast auditorium in winter, but has been moved outdoors to St. Peter's Square so more people can attend. The pope has two days left before he takes the historic step of becoming the first pontiff in some six centuries to step down instead of ruling for life. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

Pope Benedict XVI rides in his Popemobile through a packed Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican during his last general audience, February 27, 2013. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

Pope Benedict XVI finishes his last general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, February 27, 2013. The weekly event which would normally be held in a vast auditorium in winter, but has been moved outdoors to St. Peter's Square so more people can attend. The pope has two days left before he takes the historic step of becoming the first pontiff in some six centuries to step down instead of ruling for life. (REUTERS /Alessandro Bianchi)

[ELS]

Weekly audience ping!

Please let me know if you want to be on or off this ping list.

Dear FRiends, I have enjoyed posting these weekly catecheses and benefited greatly from them. I don't know if I will continue to post them with the next Pope. Benedict XVI has a special place in my heart. If anyone wants to post the general audience texts of the next Pope, please send me a FRmail message and I'll be glad to pass along the ping list.

[onyx]

I stayed up to watch him LIVE. Thank you so much, dear ELS.
I will forever miss and love our beloved Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.

[FoxPro]

Why would they have to have the Mercedes Benz star logo on the front of the Pope Mobile?

Was that really necessary?

[ELS]

Maybe because Mercedes Benz donated the car to the Vatican and are proud of their shared German heritage? I don’t really know.

[RPTMS]

Were you expecting a Chevy logo?

[lightman]

In this final address I hear many echoes of the Intercessions I used an hour and half ago at the Eucharist:

Almighty and everlasting God,
you are worthy to be held in reverence by all the mortal race.
We give you thanks for the innumerable blessings
which, despite our unworthiness, you have showered upon us.

We praise you especially that you have preserved for us in their purity
your saving Word and the sacred ordinances of your house.
Grant and preserve to your Church throughout the world purity of doctrine
and faithful pastors who shall preach your Word with power,
and help all who hear
rightly to understand and firmly to believe your Word of truth.

Protect and defend your people in time of tribulation and danger,
that we, in communion with your Church and in unity with all Christian people,
may fight the good fight of faith and in the end receive the fullness of salvation.

Upon all the nations of the earth bestow your grace.
Especially we ask you to bless our land and all its inhabitants
and all who are in authority.
Cause your glory to dwell among us,
and let mercy and truth, justice and peace everywhere prevail.

We commend to your care all our schools,
that virtue and useful knowledge may be nourished
and the wholesome fruits of life may abound.

In your mercy defend us from all calamities by fire and water,
from war and pestilence, from scarcity and famine.
Protect and prosper all who labor, and cause all useful arts to flourish among us.
Show yourself to be the helper of the sick and needy,
the comforter of the forsaken and distressed.

And as we are strangers and pilgrims on earth,
help us to prepare for the world to come,
doing the work which you have given us to do while it is day,
before that night comes when no one can work.
And, when our last hour shall come, support us by your power
and receive us into your everlasting kingdom,
where, with your Son our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit,
you live and reign, God forever.
Amen

[NYer]

Final audience ping!

[NYer]

Final audience ping!

[ops33]

Some grim faced body guards!

[PatriotGirl827]

Thank you for what you’ve done!!

[Salvation]

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[Excellence]

Thank you for all of your efforts.