«Hellige Far, vi er med deg» står det på banneret i bildet med blå tekst. I dag hadde katolikker blitt oppfordret til å møte opp til Angelus-bønna på Ptersplassen kl 12.00, for å uttrykke solidarritet med pave Benedikt, etter at besøket ved La Sapienza universitetet hadde blitt avlyst.
Tens of thousands of young people and adults – more than 200,000, if the television linkups with other cities are counted – streamed into Saint Peter’s Square from all over Italy to express their solidarity with Benedict XVI. It was a response to the invitation from Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar of Rome, after the violent controversy that had arisen at the La Sapienza university, leading the Holy See to decline the invitation for the pontiff to give the opening address for the university’s academic year. Without any stridency, the pontiff exhorted all to work in a climate of «fraternity» and to «seek truth and freedom, in a shared commitment to a fraternal and tolerant society».
When Benedict XVI appeared at the window of his study for the recitation of the Angelus, an ovation came from the square full of people and banners. «You did not come to us; we come to you!».