Pope Benedict XVI Visits His Native Germany On Sunday.
He made a strong appeal for
unity among Catholics with 100,000 faithful filling an airfield beside
Freiburg's airport - the largest turnout of the pontiff's four-day trip.
Pope Benedict waves to the gathered believers after leading an eucharist on the last of a four-day visit to Germany
Pope Benedict XVI arrives in the Popemobile to celebrate the Eucharist
Benedict alluded to the
dissent in Catholic ranks on Saturday night, when he said that through
the years 'damage to the church comes not from opponents, but from
uncommitted Christians.'
He then urged the pilgrims
to let their lives be guided by their faith, saying even those who doubt
God's existence 'are closer to the kingdom of God than believers whose
faith is routine and who regard the church merely as an institution,
without letting their hearts be touched by faith.'
Worshippers take part in Holy Communion and receive the sacred wafers
'Dear friends, in the last
analysis, the renewal of the church will only come about through
openness to conversion and through renewed faith,' he said from an altar
set up on a small hill.
'The church in Germany will
continue to be a blessing for the entire Catholic world if she remains
faithfully united with the successors of St. Peter and the
Apostles,'Benedict said in a homily urging German Catholics to 'work
together in unity.'
But not all faithful were convinced.
'The pope spoke about
humility and responsibility. But he failed to mention the church's own
responsibility regarding the issue of sexual abuse cases,' said Stefan
Haak.
'The church, too, is fallible,' said the 46-year-old from Freiburg, who had brought his two children to attend the Mass.
The Pope blesses a child during a drive through the streets of Freiburg
Nuns and fellow worshippers are led by the Pope during a series of prayers
The pope has drawn large
crowds at his stops in Berlin and in mainly Protestant eastern Germany,
but the numbers were largest in this heavily Catholic southwestern city.
There have also been scattered protests, the largest drawing thousands in Berlin.
Many in Sunday's crowd waved yellow and white Vatican flags beneath a bright blue sky as they waited for the Mass to begin.
'It is beautiful to realize
that one is not alone. It gives you a feeling of greater community,'
said Thamah Huyen Nguyen, a 26-year-old pilgrim from Freiburg.
Worshippers ahead of the start of the final mass led by the Pope
Julia Eibeck, from Stuttgart, appeared moved by the pope's homily.
'He made it clear that the
church must be lively, that it's not about the organization but about
what one has in his heart,' Eibeck said.
Others said experiencing a Mass led by the pope combined with the feeling of community was a unique experience for them.
'It's all about a joint
experience, you see how many people turn out to pray with the pope, that
creates a dynamic of its own,' said 51-year-old Joachim Zimmermann from
Freiburg.
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