Pope Benedict XVI delivers his blessing during his last Angelus noon prayer, from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter鈥檚 Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. Benedict XVI gave his pontificate鈥檚 final Sunday blessing from his studio window to the cheers of tens of thousands of people packing St. Peter鈥檚 Square, but sought to reassure the faithful that he wasn鈥檛 abandoning the church by retiring to spend his final years in prayer. AP PHOTO/DOMENICO STINELLIS
VATICAN CITY鈥擯ope Benedict XVI delivered an emotional last Sunday prayer in St. Peter鈥檚 Square, saying God had told him to devote himself to prayer but assuring supporters he would not 鈥渁bandon鈥� the Church.
Tens of thousands of supporters turned out for the historic prayers ahead of the pope鈥檚 formal resignation on Thursday, often interrupting the pope with their clapping, cheering and chanting.
鈥淭he Lord is calling me to climb the mountain, to dedicate myself even more to prayer and meditation. But this does not mean abandoning the Church,鈥� the pope told the crowd from the window of his residence in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican.
鈥淚f God is asking me to do this it is precisely so I can continue to serve with the same dedication and love as before but in a way that is more appropriate for my age and for my strength.鈥�
The 85-year-old leader of the world鈥檚 1.2 billion Catholics has said he will step down because he no longer has the strength of mind and body to carry on.
His shock resignation ended an eight-year pontificate dominated by the priest child sex abuse scandal and efforts to counter rising secularism in the West.
He thanked the crowd with a final unscripted call, telling them: 鈥淲e will always be close!鈥�
The Vatican and Rome police estimated the numbers at more than 100,000 people鈥攎any times more than usually attend the traditional Sunday prayer.
鈥淗oly Father, We Love You,鈥� read one banner seen in the crowd. One read: 鈥淭hank You, Your Holiness鈥� and another said: 鈥淒ear Father, We鈥檒l Miss You.鈥�
鈥淚 have come to support the pope and to ask for his blessing,鈥� said Joao-Paulo, a 26-year-old trainee priest from Brazil who came with fellow seminarians.
Birgit Marschall, 37, a teacher from Germany, said: 鈥淗e is an intellectual who speaks in simple language, who writes what we have in our hearts.鈥�
Claire Therese Heyne, a 34-year-old theology student from the United States, said the pope 鈥渕ust have had a very strong reason鈥� to leave.
鈥淚t is an act of courage and humility,鈥� she said.
Benedict will be only the second pope to resign of his own free will in the Church鈥檚 2,000-year history, and the first to do so since the Middle Ages.
But Gianpaolo, 33, said Benedict had been 鈥渓ess courageous鈥� than his predecessors, and many people looked ahead to the pope鈥檚 successor and stressed the need for major reforms.
鈥淭he Church has to have a major reflection after this resignation. Something has changed inside the Church and this decision reflects this,鈥� said Gianpaolo, who came with his two sons.
Forty-five-year old Linda came from Wales in Britain for the event, saying: 鈥淗e was not so open as the last popes before him. A new pope should be more open to people, to new ideas.鈥�
There was tight security in and around the Vatican, with more than 100 police officers and snipers on surrounding buildings, as well as two field clinics and hundreds of volunteers to help pilgrims.
The security is being seen as preparation for the pope鈥檚 final general audience in St. Peter鈥檚 on Wednesday where around 200,000 people are expected.
Some Italian media have speculated his health may be far worse than the Vatican revealed, and others have said an explosive report into the 鈥淰atileaks鈥� scandal may be to blame.
The Vatican鈥檚 Secretariat of State鈥攅ffectively the government of the Catholic Church鈥攖ook the unusual step on Saturday of issuing a formal statement condemning 鈥渃ompletely false news stories.鈥�
The Panorama news weekly and the Repubblica daily said a report by a committee of cardinals into the leaks of confidential papal papers last year had uncovered allegations of intrigue, corruption and blackmail in the Vatican.
No clear favorite has emerged to succeed Joseph Ratzinger. But many observers say the cardinals, who make the choice, may plump for a much younger candidate who is a more pastoral figure than the academic Benedict.
A series of meetings of cardinals starting Friday will determine the date of the start of the conclave to elect a new pope. The Vatican has hinted that it could be brought forward to early March since there is no papal funeral.
Conclaves can last for days before a candidate wins a two-thirds majority.
The Vatican has said Benedict will retire to the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo near Rome for the next two or three months while a former monastery inside the Vatican is renovated.
Benedict has said he will live 鈥渉idden from the world鈥� but Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi has said he could provide 鈥渟piritual guidance鈥� to his successor and will likely continue to publish his theological research.