Pope Issues Call for Unity

The inauguration of Benedict in a sun-streaked ceremony in St. Peter's Square was regal and subdued. It capped an emotionally charged three-week interregnum that started with the death of Pope John Paul II and ended with the election and installation of his controversial successor.

The German-born Benedict delivered a homily in accented but clear Italian, a speech laden with grim pictures of humanity's plight but also hopeful hints of redemption. There was little indication what shape his papacy might take, however, and only brief mention of some of John Paul's initiatives, such as dialogue with other faiths.

Instead, Benedict focused on moral and spiritual directives.

"We are living in alienation, in the salt waters of suffering and death, in the sea of darkness without light," the 78-year-old pontiff said in his first public Mass since his election Tuesday. "The net of the Gospel pulls us out of the waters of death and brings us into the splendor of God's light, into true life."

He said his government plan was "not to do my own will, not to pursue my own ideas," but to "listen, together with the whole church, to the word and will of the Lord."

The remarks seemed to suggest a willingness to entertain diverse ideas as he assumes leadership of the largest Christian institution in the world, one that faces many challenges, from empty pews in Europe to threats from Islam and evangelical sects in developing nations.

In the 24 years he headed the church's office on doctrinal purity, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger earned a reputation as an austere disciplinarian who blocked numerous church reforms. Since his election, he and aides have taken pains to project a more conciliatory image.

Sunday's Mass was the latest step in that campaign.

Tens of thousands of pilgrims, many from Germany, poured into the Vatican square with flags and banners for a celebration steeped in centuries-old ritual and highlighted with modern innovations.

Keen to show a connection to his predecessor, Benedict ended the outdoor festivities with a spin around St. Peter's Square in an open-backed Fiat sport-utility vehicle. It was not the same "popemobile" that John Paul used, but it made a similar point.