Vatican:
Tens of thousands of emotional pilgrims cheered and whooped as Pope Benedict XVI rode out on St Peter's Square in his white "popemobile" on Thursday for his final general audience before resigning.
Nuns, priests and whole families had flocked to the Vatican to get a front-row view of the pope, waving flags and holding up banners expressing their love for the 85-year old Benedict.
"Be-ne-dict!" and "Long live the pope!" the crowd chanted in almost stadium-like atmosphere.
"He won't be pope officially any more, but he'll always be special to me," said 12-year old Giulia, who came to see the audience -- his last major public act before stepping down --with her school class.
"He did the right thing resigning, he's old and we don't want him to do too much and die, he needs a rest," her friend Sara said, as she snacked on sweets in front St Peter's, where an estimated 150,000 people gathered to say goodbye.
Priests wearing paper hats made out of the Italian Catholic newspaper Avvenire to shield them from the hot Roman sun could also be seen in the heaving square, where hundreds of church groups had seats in front of the basilica.
"I love the pope, I'm sad that he's leaving, but he has made a grand gesture of love for the Church," said Giuseppe Fan from Vietnam, who is training to be a priest, as he stoodon tip toe on the steps surrounding a fountain to get a goodview.
"Ultimately, it's a day of joy, of thanks," he said, as a brass band struck up. Pilgrims holding banners reading "Benedict, be pope again!" and "Benedict, change your mind!" chanted the pope's name as he rode past them in the pope mobile, with Swiss guards standing by to control the ecstatic crowds. "You Will Always Be In Our Heart!" read one sign.
