Crowd of 150,000 Supports Pope

Despite the clerical sex-abuse scandal, followers of the Catholic Church are still showing their support. An estimated crowd of 150,000 filled St. Peter’s Square for Pope Benedict XVI in a major show of loyalty on Sunday. The pope said he appreciated the “beautiful and spontaneous show of faith and solidarity” and repeated his denunciation of what he called the “sin” that has invaded the church. Crowds of this size are expected for major holiday Masses and canonizations, not for Benedict’s brief Sunday blessings. Rome’s mayor told the Associated Press “We want to show our solidarity to the pope and transmit the message that single individuals make mistakes but institutions, faith and religion cannot be questioned.”