Pope Benedict makes emotional first appearance since decision to resign

An emotional Pope Benedict tried to assure his global flock on Wednesday over his decision to become the first pontiff in centuries to resign, saying he was confident it would not hurt the Church.

The Vatican, meanwhile, announced that a conclave to elect his successor would start sometime between March 15 and March 20, in keeping with Church rules about the timing of such gatherings after the papal see becomes vacant.

"Continue to pray for me, for the Church and for the future pope," he said in unscripted remarks at the start of his weekly general audience, his first public appearance since his shock decision on Monday that he will step down on February 28.

It was the first time Benedict, 85, who will retire to a convent inside the Vatican, had referred to a "future pope" in public.

He was clearly moved and his eyes appeared to be watering as he reacted to the thunderous applause in the Vatican's vast, modern audience hall, packed with more than 8,000 people.

In brief remarks in Italian that mirrored those he read in Latin to stunned cardinals on Monday, he appeared to try to calm Catholics' fears of the unknown. His message was that God would continue to guide the Church.

"I took this decision in full freedom for the good of the Church after praying for a long time and examining my conscience before God," he said.

He said he was "well aware of the gravity of such an act," but also aware that he no longer had the strength required to run the 1.2 billion-member Roman Catholic Church, which has been beset by a string of scandals both in Rome and around the world. Benedict said he was sustained by the "certainty that the Church belongs to Christ, who will never stop guiding it and caring for it" and suggested the faithful should also feel comforted by this.

He said that he had "felt almost physically" the affection and kindness he had received since he announced the decision.

The atmosphere was festive and warm, if somewhat bittersweet.

A chorus of Italian schoolchildren serenaded him with one of his favourite hymns in German - a gesture that won over the pope, who thanked them for singing a piece "particularly dear to me".

"He gave us eight wonderful years of his words," said Ileana Sviben, an Italian from the northern city of Trieste who couldn't hide her sadness.

"He was a wonderful theologian and pastor."

But the Reverend Reinaldo Braga Jnr, a Brazilian priest studying theology in Rome, said he was saddened when he first heard the news.

"The atmosphere was funereal but nobody had died," he said. "But then I realised it was a wise act for the entire Church. He taught the Church and the world that the papacy is not about power, but about service."

Later, Benedict celebrated the Ash Wednesday Mass that was originally scheduled to have taken place in a small church in Rome, but moved to St Peter's Basilica so more people can attend.

Additional reporting by Associated Press