RNS POPE INSTALLATION

pope benedict XVI

In a dramatic ending to the outdoor Mass that officially launched his papal reign, Pope Benedict XVI drove through St. Peter’s Square standing in an open-topped jeep, a visual contrast to the bullet-proof “popemobile” that his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, used after being targeted by an assassin in 1981. A slight figure in gold brocade vestments and mitre, Benedict XVI gave his blessing as church bells rang, the music of Bach resounded from an organ inside St. Peter’s Basilica and pilgrims cheered and waved flags. Photo by Grzegorz Galazka.

(RNS10-APR24) In a dramatic ending to the outdoor Mass that officially launched his papal reign, Pope Benedict XVI drove through St. Peter’s Square standing in an open-topped jeep, a visual contrast to the bullet-proof “popemobile” that his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, used after being targeted by an assassin in 1981. A slight figure in gold brocade vestments and mitre, Benedict XVI gave his blessing as church bells rang, the music of Bach resounded from an organ inside St. Peter’s Basilica and pilgrims cheered and waved flags. See RNS-POPE-INSTALLATION, transmited April 24, 2005. Photo by Grzegorz Galazka.