Pope pledges to unite Christians

By David Willey
BBC News, Rome

Pope Benedict stressed the importance of attending Mass

Pope Benedict XVI has made his first brief visit outside the Vatican since his election six weeks ago.

He travelled by Italian military helicopter direct to the Adriatic port city of Bari from a helipad inside Vatican City to celebrate Sunday Mass and preach a homily.

And then he returned home three hours later without even stopping for lunch. The new pope celebrated Mass on a huge white oval stage erected near the waterfront.

He received a rousing welcome from a crowd of over 150,000 people, many of whom had travelled from other parts of southern Italy.

The Mass marked the end of a gathering of Italian bishops, priests, and lay people.

How can we communicate with the Lord if we don't communicate among ourselves? Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict's message was clear and to the point.

First, he repeated the pledge he made when he was elected six weeks ago, to devote himself to healing the rifts between Roman Catholics and other Christian churches which separated from Rome during the past millennium.

The first split or schism was between the western and eastern churches nearly a 1,000 years ago. The second was between Protestants and Catholics during the Reformation 500 years later.

"I desire to work with all my energy towards the re-establishment of full and visible unity among the followers of Jesus Christ," Pope Benedict said.

Christian unity

The bones of Saint Nicholas, a fourth century bishop from Asia Minor, venerated both by Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholics, were brought to Europe and reinterred in Bari by crusaders nearly a 1,000 years ago.

In pictures: First trip

It was therefore appropriate for the Pope to repeat his pledge to work for Christian unity in this particular city which he described as "a land of dialogue and encounter with our brothers of the East".

When Joseph Ratzinger was elected pope last month, some other churches expressed concern because of statements he had made as head of the Vatican department that had labelled other Christian denominations as inferior to Catholicism.

"How can we communicate with the Lord if we don't communicate among ourselves," the Pope asked.

He was loudly applauded by the huge congregation, which included tens of thousands of young people, many of whom had camped out all night on the esplanade where the Mass was held, in order to secure a good view of the new pontiff during his brief visit.

The Pope's other main point was to recall the importance for Catholics of attending Sunday Mass.

There has been a dramatic falling off in Mass attendance in Italy, as in the rest of Europe, during recent decades.

Gay unions

Among local officials who greeted the Pope was the newly-elected president of the Puglia region, Nicola Vendola, who makes no secret of the fact that he is gay.

The recognition of civil unions poses no threat to the institution of marriage and the family Nicola Vendola, Puglia region president

He said in an interview published in a national newspaper that he would press the Pope to liberalise Church rules banning homosexual unions.

"The recognition of civil unions poses no threat to the institution of marriage and the family," said Mr Vendola, a practising Catholic.

"The Church should see what's happening in the world and at least begin to discuss it."

Pope Benedict is moving cautiously and rather slowly into his new job. Yet there were two minor changes of protocol for Benedict's first Italian trip.

He brought with him from the Vatican two Swiss Guards resplendent in full dress uniform, who stood guard on the stage as he celebrated Mass.

Since the abolition of the Papal States when Italy became a united country in 1870, the pope's Swiss guards have never before been allowed to appear in uniform outside the walls of the Vatican.

And on the flight back to Rome, Pope Benedict's helicopter swooped low over the small town of Duronia - the pilot's home town - so the Pope could bless local residents gathered on a sports field.

Pope Benedict's only other trip announced so far this year is to his native Germany where he plans to attend a Catholic youth festival in Cologne in August.