Historical moment

Pope's final address: God was asleep on my watch

The Pope has told a huge crowd of followers that his papacy had moments of joy but at times is "seemed like the Lord was sleeping", in his last audience in St Peter's Square. ddressing an estimated 150,000 people in St Peter's Square the day before he steps down, Benedict said his crisis-hit papacy had included moments of joy but also difficulty when, "It seemed like the Lord was sleeping."

Benedict XVI referred to "stormy waters and headwinds" during his pontificate, but he said God would not let the Church "sink".

"The Lord gave us days of sun and of light breeze, days in which the fishing was good. There were also moments when there were stormy waters and headwinds," he said.

Benedict thanked his cardinals, colleagues and ordinary faithful for their support and for respecting his decision to become the first pope in 600 years to resign. He said that "to love the church means also to have the courage to take difficult, painful decisions, always keeping the good of the church in mind, not oneself."

He told thousands that his decision to resign "is the fruit of a serene trust in God's will and a deep love of Christ's church."