Pope Benedict XVI's final Sunday prayer

ROME - Departing Pope Benedict XVI delivered his final public prayer ceremony on Sunday noon in Vatican City, drawing tens of thousands of emotional Catholics, together with tourists from across the world.

The St. Peter's Square was full of young and old spectators from Sunday morning, many holding up cameras and some pushing strollers. Giant flags and banners also add a few distinct colors to the square.

At around 11:45 a.m. (1045 GMT), the 85-year-old pope showed up at the window of his office overlooking the square, arousing massive applauses and hails from the crowd. He chanted Catholic blessings with the crowd after a short sermon.

Tomasz Smalcerz, a priest and college student studying in Rome, said he could not miss the pope's last public blessings on Sunday. "I want to be with the pope, to pray with him and for him," he said.

Earlier this month, the pope abruptly announced his decision to step down due to lack of physical strength, soon after allegations of various scandals in the Catholic Church caught media attention amid Vatican's denial.

In spite of doubts about the pope's real reason for resignation, most ordinary Catholics interviewed by Xinhua at the square expressed much understanding about the pope's old age and health condition.

"His announcement of retiring is not an act of weakness, but an act of liberty and of great love to the church," said sister Annie Mariavilla from India, who came with a dozen of Catholic sisters.

Benedict was dean of the College of Cardinal in 2005 when he became the sixth German to be picked as pope, while his resignation has been the first in nearly 600 years.

The pope, who said earlier to live "hidden from the world" after retirement, would officially leave office at 8 p.m. (1900 GMT) next Thursday. A cardinal should take over interim powers until there is a new pope.

Anita Vanboxmeer, a Catholic visiting Rome from the Netherlands, told Xinhua that she would prefer a new pope that could be less conservative than Benedict XVI.

Cardinals from across the world are scheduled to gather in the 13th-century Sistine Chapel to vote for a new pope, hopefully in time for the church's Easter celebrations in late March.

Souvenir shops nearby the square got rather crowded after the ceremony, whose bestsellers included calendars and postcards with the printed picture of the pope.