Pope Benedict installed as Roman Catholic pope

VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict was installed as leader of the Roman Catholic Church on Sunday, receiving the symbols of his authority at an inaugural outdoor Mass that mixed centuries-old pageantry with prayer.

Three weeks after the death of John Paul, pilgrims and patriarchs, presidents and priests once again packed the cobbled expanse in front of St. Peter's Basilica for the solemn service - the final rite in the papal transition.

The former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the 16th pontiff to take the name Benedict, was elected in a secret conclave of the Roman Catholic Church's 115 voting cardinals last Tuesday.

At 78 the oldest Pope for three centuries, he emerged onto the steps of the basilica behind a procession of cardinals and paused briefly to wave to a sea of onlookers estimated by city authorities at up to half a million.

Applause echoed around the square, decked with 20,000 flowers in the white and yellow of the Vatican, and the crowd held aloft a multitude of national flags that shimmered in the spring sunlight.

Marking Benedict's elevation to the papacy, a cardinal placed around his neck a stole of white wool, embroidered with red crosses -- the pallium which used to worn by Roman emperors and now symbolises a pope's pastoral authority.

Benedict also received the Fisherman's Ring, which carries his papal seal and will be smashed following his death.

"O God ... give your blessing to our Pope Benedict, whom you have placed at the top of the apostolic ministry," Italian Cardinal Angelo Sodano said in a Latin prayer.

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Before the service started, the German Pope visited the tomb of the Church's first pope, St. Peter, who is buried in the crypt of the vast basilica.

Holding a silver staff and wearing gold vestments and an embroidered mitre, he then walked out into the daylight for the service to mark his accession as the Church's 265th pontiff.

Attention during Sunday's rite will focus on Benedict's homily. As the Vatican's doctrinal watchdog, the conservative Ratzinger upset Protestants, Buddhists and Hindus with sharp criticisms of their faiths. But his first address as Pope stressed the need for inter-faith dialogue.

Security was again tight, as it was for the funeral mass for John Paul. Rome shut its airspace, blocked off roads and had anti-aircraft missiles and a Nato plane guarding against attack.

Nuns in black habits rushed to grab good vantage points in the cobbled square, clerics' cloaks billowed in the light breeze and convoys of official delegations from more than 100 countries swept through Rome with police sirens wailing.

"The atmosphere here is indescribable. It's a great feeling to have German pope," said a 40 year-old German salesman, Martin Hackmann, who got to the square at 4.00 am to get a good spot.

The shy Pope, who used to be John Paul's top doctrinal overseer, has been slowly growing more comfortable in his new role since his election, making brief outings where he has been mobbed by wellwishers.

He was expected to drive around the vast St. Peter's Square after the Mass in an open-topped car to greet the faithful, giving him an early taste of the sort of crowds that are likely to follow him throughout his papacy.

Fewer world leaders were at the Mass than at John Paul's funeral, which with 2,500 dignitaries resembled a summit of the world's powerful, but the attendance list was still long.

Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and President Horst Koehler were heading the German delegation. The US group was led by Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, brother of US President George W. Bush and a convert to Roman Catholicism.

The guest list included Spain's King Juan Carlos and Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the spiritual head of the Anglican Communion. Also present was Benedict's brother Georg, 81 and also a priest.

More than 1,000 volunteers have been drafted in to marshal the crowds, including some from a German-speaking area of northern Italy to help pilgrims from the Pope's homeland coming to see their first compatriot in centuries be installed as Pope.

The Pope was due to meet visiting dignitaries later on Sunday and hold an audience for German pilgrims on Monday.

- REUTERS