Pope Benedict XVI celebrated his last public Mass today as the Holy Father in St. Peter's Basilica. Once again he broke tradition by having the Mass in St. Peter's. The Mass for Ash Wednesday has historically taken place at Santa Sabina on the Aventine Hill. It was moved in order to accommodate the large number of people who were expected to attend. The basilica was filled to capacity. I was not among them, so the photos you will see were taken from St. Peter's Square off of the Jumbotron screens which are placed throughout the square so people can participate in the liturgy from outside the basilica. And just as with sports events, you get a better view from the TV screens than if you were inside the basilica. And so, with that disclaimer, here are the photos of the Mass.
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| Some of the cardinals at the Mass. |
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| The Pope going down the nave of St. Peter's on a moving platform. |
It was a beautiful day today, sunny and warm. I did what I usually do after lunch and took a long walk. I will save the photos from today's walk for tomorrow's posting. To give you a flavor of what you can expect, here are two of my favorites.
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| From a flower cart on a side street |
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| A view from the steps of the Church of San Lorenzo. |
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