Pope Benedict XVI began a giant outdoor mass in the Portuguese shrine of Fatima Thursday before hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from around the world.
The sanctuary's huge esplanade was full to overflowing and Church organisers said half a million people attended the mass, a greater number than joined his predecessor John Paul II here in 2000, illustrating Benedict's pulling power even as he battles a paedophile priest crisis.
The Church said the huge crowd was a message of support for Benedict.
The 83-year-old pope blessed and kissed two swaddled babies thrust at him through the open window of his popemobile, before stoking the crowd's enthusiasm by circling the esplanade on his way to the altar, smiling and waving to the ordered ranks of pilgrims.
The Roman Catholic Church has billed the mass at one of Christianity's biggest shrines as the highlight of Benedict's four-day visit to Portugal.
The mass marked the 93rd anniversary of the Virgin Mary's reported apparitions to three shepherd children. The incident in 1917 led to the founding of the pilgrimage site.
Amid a cacophony of choirs, cheering and applause, bishops walked in procession to the giant altar shortly before the mass began, ahead of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima, which was perched atop a bed of white roses and borne by Portuguese soldiers.
Pilgrims threw rose petals at the statue as it passed by.
The late John Paul II credited the Virgin with deflecting an assassin's bullet in 1981 and placed a bullet taken from his body in the crown of the statue during a visit of thanksgiving the following year.
Thousands had spent the night on the esplanade in sleeping bags -- and a lucky few under tents -- to make sure they got a place.
"The rain was harder to deal with than the cold. We came to the altar at 4:30 am but there was already lots of people here, we are not as close to it as we would like," said Isaac Gonzales, 24, from Seville in Spain.
Despite the child sex scandal that has rocked the Roman Catholic Church, the 83-year-old pope remains a huge draw. Hours before his arrival, pilgrims had claimed spots on every spare statue in the main square.
Benedict has used his visit to warn Portugal of the consequences of increasing secularism in a country set to legalise gay marriage next week.
Nearly 90 percent of Portuguese are Catholic but only about 20 percent are practising.
He also issued a rallying call to priests, telling them on Wednesday to "take a firm stand" for their vocation.
The pope said en route to Portugal that the problems the Church was facing came not from its enemies, but from sin within the institution itself. And he said that justice for the victims of abuse must be a priority.
Copyright 2010 AFP Global Edition
