Vatican City, Apr 21, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Pope Benedict XVI met this morning with those cardinals still in Rome following Monday’s conclave. He expressed to them what he described as a mixture of gratitude and unworthiness for the task ahead of him as 265th Pope.
He said that "to the intense emotions I experienced on the occasion of the death of my venerated predecessor John Paul II and then during the conclave, especially its outcome, can be added an intimate desire for silence and two complementary feelings: a deep and heartfelt gratitude and a sense of human impotence in the face of the exalted task that awaits me."
The new Pope told them of his “need to give thanks to God Who, despite my human frailty, elected me as Successor to the Apostle Peter and entrusted me with the task of supporting and guiding the Church, that in the world she may become a sacrament of unity for the entire human race."
Likewise, he emphasized how "truly emotional" his first appearance in St Peter's Square two days ago, had been.