General Audience Adress.

"I am not abandoning the cross, but remain in a new

way with the Crucified Lord"
Vatican City , February 2, 2!"#
Here is the translation of the address Pope Benedict gave this morning during the general
audience, the last of his pontificate, held today in St. Peter's Square.
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Venerable Brothers in the piscopate and in the Priesthood!
"istinguished #uthorities!
"ear Brothers and Sisters!
$han% you for coming in such large numbers to this last &eneral #udience of my
pontificate.
# heartfelt than%s! ' am truly moved! #nd ' see the (hurch alive! #nd ' thin% )e should also
than% the (reator for the beautiful )eather that He is giving us today )hile )e*re still in
)inter.
#s the #postle Paul in the biblical te+t that )e have heard, ' too feel in my heart that ' must
above all than% &od, )ho guides and builds up the (hurch, )ho so)s his ,ord and thus
nourishes the faith in his People. #t this moment my heart e+pands to embrace the )hole
(hurch throughout the )orld, and ' than% &od for the -ne)s- that in these years in the
Petrine ministry ' have been able to receive about the faith in the .ord /esus (hrist, and
the love that circulates in the Body of the (hurch and ma%es it live in love, and about the
hope that opens us and directs us to)ards the fullness of life, to)ards the heavenly
homeland.
' feel that ' carry everyone in prayer, in a present that is &od*s, )here ' recall every
meeting, every trip, every pastoral visit. ' gather everyone in prayer to entrust them to the
.ord, so that )e may have full %no)ledge of His )ill, in all )isdom and spiritual
understanding, and so that )e may comport ourselves in a manner )orthy of Him, of His
love, bearing fruit in every good )or% 0cf. Col 123-145.
At this time, I feel great trust, because I know, all of us know, that the Word of the
truth of the Gospel is the strength of the Church, it is its life. The Gospel purifies
and renews, it bears fruit, wherever the community of believers listens and receives
the grace of God in truth and lives in charity. This is my trust, this is my oy.
,hen, on #pril 13 almost eight years ago, ' agreed to ta%e on the Petrine ministry, ' felt
this certainty firmly, and it has al)ays accompanied me. #t that moment, as ' have already
stated several times, the )ords that resounded in my heart )ere2 .ord, )hy are you as%ing
this of me and )hat are you as%ing of me6 't is a great )eight you are placing on my
shoulders, but if this is )hat 7ou as%, at your )ord ' )ill let do)n the nets, confident that
7ou )ill guide me, even )ith my )ea%nesses. #nd eight years later ' can say that the .ord
has truly guided me, He has been close to me, ' could feel His presence every day. 't has
been a stretch of the (hurch's 8ourney, )hich has had moments of 8oy and light, but also
difficult moments9 ' felt li%e St. Peter and the #postles in the boat on the Sea of &alilee2 the
.ord has given us many days of sunshine and gentle bree:e, days )hen the fishing has
been plentiful, and there )ere also times )hen the )ater )as rough and the )ind against
us, as in the )hole history of the (hurch, and the .ord seemed to sleep. But ' al)ays %ne)
that the .ord is in the boat, and ' al)ays %ne) that the boat of the (hurch is not mine, not
ours, but it is His. #nd He )ill not let her sin%, it is He )ho leads it, certainly also through
the men he has chosen, because so He has )illed it. $his )as and is a certainty, that
nothing can obscure. #nd that is )hy today my heart is filled )ith gratitude to &od because
He has never left me or the (hurch )ithout His consolation, His light, His love.
,e are in the Year of Faith, )hich ' )anted to strengthen our faith in &od in a conte+t that
seems to put it more and more into the bac%ground. I would like to invite everyone to
renew their firm trust in the !ord, to trust like children in the arms of God, certain
that those arms support us always and are what allow us to walk every day, even
when fatigued. I would like everyone to feel loved by that God who gave his "on for
us and has shown us his boundless love. I want everyone to feel the oy of being
Christian. A beautiful prayer to be recited daily in the morning says# $I adore you,
my God, I love you with all my heart. Thank you for having created me, for having
made me Christian...$ %es, we are happy for the gift of faith& it is the most precious
thing, that no one can take from us' We thank God for this every day, with prayer
and with a coherent Christian life. God loves us, but e(pects that we too love )im'
But it is not only &od that ' )ant to than% at this time. # Pope is not alone in guiding the
barque of Peter, even if the primary responsibility is his9 and ' have never felt alone in
carrying the 8oy and )eight of the Petrine ministry9 the .ord has put ne+t to me many
people, )ith generosity and love for &od and the (hurch, they have helped me and have
been close to me. ;irst of all you, dear Brother (ardinals2 your )isdom, your advice, your
friendship has been precious to me9 my collaborators, starting )ith my Secretary of State
)ho has accompanied me faithfully over the years, the Secretary of State and the )hole of
the <oman (uria, as )ell as all those )ho, in various fields, give their service to the Holy
See2 there are many faces )ho do not appear, they remain in the shado), but precisely in
this silence, in their daily )or%, in a spirit of faith and humility, they have been a solid and
reliable support for me. # special thought to the (hurch of <ome, my diocese! ' cannot
forget the Brothers in the piscopate and in the Priesthood, consecrated persons and the
entire People of &od2 in the pastoral visits, in encounters, in the audences, in my travels, '
have al)ays perceived great care and deep affection, but ' also have loved each and
every one, )ithout e+ception, )ith that pastoral charity )hich is the heart of every pastor,
especially the Bishop of <ome, the Successor of the #postle Peter. very day ' have
remembered each of you in my prayers, )ith a father's heart.
' )ould li%e my greetings and my than%s, then, to reach everyone2 the heart of a Pope
e+tends to the )hole )orld. #nd ' )ould li%e to e+press my gratitude to the "iplomatic
(orps at the Holy See, )hich ma%es present the great family of nations. Here ' also thin%
of all those )ho )or% for a good communication and ' than% them for their important
service.
#t this point ' )ould li%e to than% from my heart all the many people around the )orld )ho
in recent )ee%s have sent me touching to%ens of attention, friendship and prayer. 7es, the
Pope is never alone, no) ' e+perience this again in so great a )ay that it touches my
heart. $he Pope belongs to everyone and many people feel very close to him. It is true
that I receive letters from the great ones of the world * from )eads of "tate, religious
leaders, representatives of the world of culture and so on. +ut I also receive many
letters from ordinary people who write to me simply from their heart and make me
feel their affection, born from being together with Christ ,esus, in the Church. These
people do not write to me the way one writes, for instance, to a prince or a to great
person that one does not know. They write to me as brothers and sisters, sons and
daughters, with the sense of a very affectionate family tie. )ere one can touch
firsthand what the Church is * not an organi-ation, not an association for religious
or humanitarian purposes, but a living body, a community of brothers and sisters in
the +ody of ,esus Christ, who unites us all. To e(perience the Church in this way
and to be able almost to touch with your hands the power of its truth and its love, is
a source of oy, in a time when many speak of its decline. +ut we see how the
Church is alive today'
'n recent months, ' felt that my strength had decreased, and ' as%ed &od earnestly in
prayer to enlighten me )ith His light to ma%e me ta%e the right decision not for my sa%e,
but for the good of the (hurch. ' have ta%en this step in full a)areness of its seriousness
and also its novelty, but )ith profound peace of mind. .oving the (hurch also means
having the courage to ma%e tough choices, difficult ones, having al)ays before oneself the
good of the (hurch and not oneself.
Here allo) me to return once again to #pril 13, =44>. $he seriousness of the decision also
lay precisely in the fact that from that moment on ' )as busy al)ays and forever )ith the
.ord. #l)ays - )hoever assumes the Petrine ministry no longer has any privacy. He
belongs al)ays and totally to everyone, to the )hole (hurch. His life is, so to spea%, totally
deprived of its private dimension. ' e+perienced, and ' am e+periencing it no), that one
receives life )hen one gives it. ' said before that many people )ho love the .ord also love
the Successor of Saint Peter and are fond of him, that the Pope truly has brothers and
sisters, sons and daughters all over the )orld, and that he feels safe in the embrace of
their communion9 because he no longer belongs to himself, he belongs to all and all
belong to him.
$he -al)ays- is also a -forever- - there is no return to the private sphere. ?y decision to
forgo the e+ercise of active ministry, does not revo%e this. ' )ill not return to private life, to
a life of travel, meetings, receptions, conferences and so on. ' am not abandoning the
cross, but remain in a ne) )ay )ith the (rucified .ord. ' no longer carry the po)er of the
office for the government of the (hurch, but in the service of prayer ' remain, so to spea%,
)ithin St. Peter's bounds. St. Benedict, )hose name ' bear as Pope, )ill be for me a great
e+ample in this. He sho)ed us the )ay to a life )hich, active or passive, belongs )holly to
the )or% of &od.
' than% each and everyone for the respect and understanding )ith )hich you have
accepted this important decision. ' )ill continue to accompany the 8ourney of the (hurch
through prayer and reflection, )ith the dedication to the .ord and to His Spouse, )ith
)hich ' have tried to live every day until no) and )ith )hich ' )ant to live forever. ' as% you
to remember me before &od, and above all to pray for the (ardinals, )ho are called to so
important a tas%, and for the ne) Successor of Peter2 may the .ord accompany him )ith
the light and the po)er of his Spirit.
.et us invo%e the maternal intercession of ?ary, ?other of &od and of the (hurch, that
she accompany each of us and the )hole ecclesial community9 )e entrust ourselves to
Her, )ith deep confidence.
"ear friends! &od guides His (hurch, he sustaines her al)ays, and especially in difficult
times. .et us never lose this vision of faith, )hich is the only true vision of the (hurch and
the )orld. 'n our heart, in the heart of each of you, may there al)ays be the 8oyous
certainty that the .ord is near us, he does not abandon us, he is near us and surrounds us
)ith his love. $han% you!
@$ranslation by Peter ,aymelABC'$ Ce)s #gencyD
"ear Brothers and Sisters,
' offer a )arm and affectionate greeting to the nglish-spea%ing pilgrims and visitors )ho
have 8oined me for this, my last &eneral #udience. .i%e Saint Paul, )hose )ords )e heard
earlier, my heart is filled )ith than%sgiving to &od )ho ever )atches over his (hurch and
her gro)th in faith and love, and ' embrace all of you )ith 8oy and gratitude.
"uring this Year of Faith, )e have been called to rene) our 8oyful trust in the .ord*s
presence in our lives and in the life of the (hurch. ' am personally grateful for his unfailing
love and guidance in the eight years since ' accepted his call to serve as the Successor of
Peter. ' am also deeply grateful for the understanding, support and prayers of so many of
you, not only here in <ome, but also throughout the )orld.
$he decision ' have made, after much prayer, is the fruit of a serene trust in &od*s )ill and
a deep love of (hrist*s (hurch. ' )ill continue to accompany the (hurch )ith my prayers,
and ' as% each of you to pray for me and for the ne) Pope. 'n union )ith ?ary and all the
saints, let us entrust ourselves in faith and hope to &od, )ho continues to )atch over our
lives and to guide the 8ourney of the (hurch and our )orld along the paths of history.
' commend all of you, )ith great affection, to his loving care, as%ing him to strengthen you
in the hope )hich opens our hearts to the fullness of life that he alone can give. $o you
and your families, ' impart my blessing. $han% you!
@Eriginal te+t2 nglishD
F (opyright =41= - .ibreria ditrice Vaticana
G G G
' e+tend a cordial )elcome to all the 'talian-spea%ing pilgrims. $han% you for your love and
affection. $han% you! "ear friends, than% you for the past eight years among you and
than% you for your participation in such great numbers at this gathering, as )ell as for your
love and for the 8oy of your faith. $hey are feelings that ' )armly reciprocate, assuring you
of my prayers for you here present, for your families, for your loved ones, for beloved 'taly
and <ome.
?y thought goes finally to the young people, the sic% and the ne)ly)eds. ?ay the .ord fill
the heart of each of you )ith His love, dear young people, so that you may be prepared to
follo) him )ith enthusiasm9 may He sustain you, dear sic% people, so that you can accept
)ith serenity the burden of suffering, and guide you, dear ne)ly)eds, so that you ma%e
your families gro) in holiness.