Anan, a seminarian from Trivandrum, was present at the ceremony when the pope announced his resignation. "His was a great example for someone like myself who will soon become a priest," he said. His books on Jesus of Nazareth and his writings have been an inspiration and a push to face conscientiously one's faith and vocation. As pope emeritus, he will be closer to the Church and the people of God.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - For a group of Indian priests, nuns and seminarians interviewed by AsiaNews, Pope Benedict XVI is an example of humility and charity who leaves the helm of the Church after showing the right path to follow. Like thousands of Catholics, they waited today to hear the pontiff's last catechesis in St Peter's Square.

One of them was Anan, from Trivandrum (Kerala), who has been in Rome studying for the past three years. He was also present at the consistory for the canonisation of the Martyrs of Otranto, on 11 February, when the pope announced his resignation from the Petrine Ministry.

"I was quite close," he explained. "I saw him tired but also full of life. Through his resignation, he showed himself to be the great pastor that he was. His is an example that we must take as a model for our future. I am going to become a priest very soon. Seeing his humility in moments of crisis teaches us to be conscious of ourselves, not for ourselves but for the good of the Church, as he did."

When she reached St Peter's Square, Sister Mary, a Benedictine nun with the Order of Divine Providence, was almost running but with a big smile on her face. "I am certain that he will be closer to the Church than before," she told AsiaNews, "and that he will pray more than anyone else for our sake, that of the clergy and all the faithful around the world."

"For my life as a nun and a woman, he is a great example of humility in a world in which power is ever-more important. He is the head of the Church and has shown what it truly means to be a servant."

For recently ordained Fr Benjamin also, Benedict XVI's humility is his most distinctive trait and that of his pontificate. "For me, he is indeed the most important pope in the history of the Church," he said. "His documents and writings have been a great inspiration for me."

During his years of priestly training, the pope's book on Jesus of Nazareth "got me to address and examine more deeply my vocation. They helped me understand my path. I must thank the pope for what he has done in these years until his final renunciation, which he did for the sake of the Church. He did it for us all." (GM)

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