Pope ends Germany trip with Mass for 1 million

COLOGNE, Germany -- Pope Benedict XVI, wrapping up his first foreign trip, celebrated Mass yesterday for an estimated 1 million people on a field in his native Germany, quieting questions about whether the cerebral conservative could rally the young people who in the past had flocked to see the more instinctively charismatic Pope John Paul II.

The vast crowd, including as many as 700,000 who had slept outdoors in a chilly overnight vigil punctuated by candlelight and singing, gave the new pope an enthusiastic welcome even though a combination of security concerns and Benedict's reserved personality meant the altar was removed from much of the crowd and the popemobile traveled along the perimeter, so that the best view for many was on large television screens.

In his homily at the concluding Mass, Benedict stuck largely to theological themes, urging the young people to go to Mass and confession; to be forgiving, sensitive, and sharing; to reach out to the elderly and those who are suffering; and to spread the Catholic faith to others. He also urged them to form communities of faith, giving a nod to the surge in recent years of international lay Catholic religious movements that have energized some segments of the church.

But Benedict also offered a critique of more general societal trends in religion, in which many people pick and choose a combination of rituals and beliefs that please them.

''There is a kind of new explosion of religion," Benedict said. ''I have no wish to discredit all the manifestations of this phenomenon. There may be sincere joy in the discovery. Yet if it is pushed too far, religion becomes almost a consumer product. People choose what they like, and some are even able to make a profit from it."

Benedict, 78, went on to exhort the young people to become ''true worshipers of God."

''Religion constructed on a 'do-it-yourself' basis cannot ultimately help us," he said. ''It may be comfortable, but at times of crisis we are left to ourselves. Help people to discover the true star which points out the way to us: Jesus Christ!"

The Mass marked an end to a four-day visit to Cologne by Benedict, a former theology professor and bishop in Germany who served as the Vatican's controversial defender of doctrine before being elected pope in April upon the death of John Paul II.

In an era when the pope is part of the global celebrity culture, he appeared repeatedly before huge crowds of young people who have been gathered here for World Youth Day, a six-day carnival of religious observance as well as socializing among young Catholics from around the world. Benedict showed a previously unseen willingness to work crowds, shaking hands, waving, smiling broadly, and kissing children with the zeal of a politician.

''I think he did awesome, and it was such a hard thing for him to do; he was definitely shocked to see how many people showed up to see him," said Katie Carlson, 17, of Weymouth. Carlson, who said she felt ''a bond" with people from around the world by participating in the overnight vigil and the papal Mass, said she will go back to Boston today with an ''enthusiasm to share with family and friends."

Some of the young people, whose only recollection of John Paul II was from a time when Parkinson's disease had prevented him from walking, slurred his speech, and reduced his energy, were impressed by the comparative vigor of the new pope.

''This was my third World Youth Day, but this time the prayer service was especially moving because I felt I was able to participate in praying with the pope," said Caitlin McManus, 23, a nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital who traveled with members of her home parish from Marshfield. She said she was struck by his ''gentle voice" and the clarity of his words.

Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley of Boston, who joined about 400 pilgrims from the Archdiocese of Boston here, said the enthusiasm for the pope reflects the Catholic belief that the papacy is a continuation of Jesus's ministry.

''Certainly, John Paul II had many gifts in his personality and his experience and a special love for young people, but even without that, for Catholics the person of the pope is important because he is a religious symbol for us," O'Malley said in an interview.

He said World Youth Day gatherings have proved successful at reinforcing faith for young Catholics who feel isolated at home.

''Young people are very much influenced by their peers, and a lot of . . . their friends say: 'Why do you go to church? That's not a cool thing to do,' " O'Malley said. ''To realize that they're not alone, that there are millions of other people in the world who are trying to follow Christ and to live a Catholic life, it's very reassuring for young people. That's the genius of these World Youth Days."

Benedict, who demonstrated a facility for languages similar to that of John Paul II, repeatedly spoke in German, English, French, Italian, and Spanish, and at the close of yesterday's Mass he also bade farewell to the crowd with a sentence or two in Polish, Portuguese, Tagalog, and Swahili.

And despite the pope's reputed preference for Mass in Latin and Gregorian chant as well as his previously expressed concerns about rock music and Harry Potter, the worship services at which Benedict presided included a variety of musical styles and even, at the Saturday night vigil, an Indian dance choir and an Argentine juggler. The music at the Mass was more traditional, but included a variety of global instruments, including South American quenas, zamponas, and charangos; an Indian sitar; African drums; and an Australian didgeridoo.

But Benedict also proved himself to be a tough talker. In meetings with Christians and Jews, he warned against papering over real differences between the faiths, and with Muslims he talked of terrorism. And yesterday, before heading back to Rome, he expressed a variety of concerns about the health of the church in Germany at a meeting with German bishops.

''Secularism and de-Christianization continue to advance," Benedict said. ''The influence of Catholic ethics and morals is in constant decline. Many people abandon the Church or, if they remain, they accept only a part of Catholic teaching. The religious situation in the east [the former East Germany] is particularly worrying, since the majority of the population is unbaptized and has no contact with the church."

Benedict, who has previously expressed serious concerns about the weak state of Christianity in much of Europe, noted that despite Germany's wealth, it has high unemployment and many social problems.

''Many of the ideas put forward by modern society have led nowhere, and many young people have ended up mired in alcohol and drugs or in the clutches of extremist groups," he said. He also warned that the shortage of priests in Germany ''is reaching dramatic proportions."

''Once again young people are providing us, their pastors, with a salutary stimulus, for they are asking us to be consistent, united, and courageous," he said. ''We, for our part, must train them in patience, in discernment, in healthy realism. Yet there can be no false compromise, no watering down of the Gospel."

As he left to return to Rome last night, Benedict said he hopes the event was positive, not only for Catholicism, but for Germany.

''We are all well aware of the evil that emerged from our homeland during the 20th century, and we acknowledge it with shame and suffering," he said at an airport ceremony. ''During these days, thanks be to God, it has become quite evident that there was and is another Germany, a land of singular human, cultural, and spiritual resources."

Michael Paulson can be reached at mpaulson@globe.com.