Vatican City – Pope Benedict XVI, embracing a cherished habit of his predecessor, appeared Sunday at his apartment’s window on St. Peter’s Square for the first time in his papacy to bless tens of thousands of faithful and curious.
Looking vigorous and confident, Benedict cut a figure sharply contrasting with John Paul II’s last time at the studio window March 30, when the ailing pontiff appeared in silent suffering three days before his death.
The new pope, wearing a white cassock, sang a Latin prayer in a voice so strong it boomed across the square from the third-floor window of the Apostolic Palace.
Some 50,000 pilgrims, tourists and Romans flocked to the square on a hot, sunny day, far more than the few thousand or so who turn out for most of these Sunday appearances.
Benedict moved into the apartment Saturday. He had been residing in a Vatican City hotel since his election April 19 while the apartment was cleaned and spruced up for its new resident.
Benedict, formerly German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, had a reputation as a tough enforcer of church teaching when he was John Paul’s trusted head of doctrinal orthodoxy.
He offered a relaxed image of himself in the 15 minutes that he stood at the window.
Benedict offered Easter wishes to Orthodox Christians, who were celebrating the holiday, and indicated anew he will pursue John Paul’s goal of bridging the distance between Roman Catholics and Orthodox.
WICHITA
BTK slaying suspect to enter plea Tuesday
More than 30 years after the first killings that began a reign of terror in Wichita, the man accused of being the BTK strangler is expected to plead his innocence this week.
Dennis Rader, formerly an ordinance enforcement officer for suburban Park City, was arrested Feb. 25 and is charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder for deaths linked to the BTK strangler, whose nickname stands for “bind, torture, kill.”
An attorney for Rader, 60, told reporters after an earlier hearing that Rader would plead not guilty at his arraignment, scheduled for Tuesday.
SOUTHPORT, N.C.
2 teens missing at sea found far from home
Two teenagers lost at sea for six days without food or fresh water were spotted by fishermen more than 100 miles from where they started, clinging to their small sailboat.
The boys quenched their thirst with seawater and slipped into the ocean to cool off, but sharks chased them back onto the boat.
At night, they used a single wet suit to keep warm.
Troy Driscoll, 15, and his best friend, 18-year-old Josh Long, were spotted Saturday about 7 miles off Cape Fear, N.C. – six days and more than 100 miles from where they had put in off Sullivans Island, S.C., on April 24. The boys were sunburned, dehydrated and exhausted, but otherwise in good condition.
BLOOMINGTON, Ill.
Study urges drivers: Strap kids in back seat
A new study emphasizes what every parent must know: Children are safer in car crashes when they sit in the back seat and are less likely to be injured when safety seats and seat belts are used.
“The single most important lifesaving decision parents can make for their child is to use the rear seat and age- and size-appropriate restraints during every car ride, every time,” said Dr. Flaura Winston, a pediatrician and chief investigator of the study, which is being released today.
The study was sponsored by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the world’s largest insurer, State Farm Insurance Co. The findings are based on information from more than 370,000 State Farm policyholders involved in car crashes.
MANILA, Ark.
Mild earthquake felt in Mississippi Valley
A mild earthquake centered in northeastern Arkansas was felt Sunday across a wide area of the Mississippi Valley, but no major damage was reported.
The quake was measured at magnitude 4.1, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
“One man had some shelving knocked off the wall, and another said it knocked the TV off the wall,” said a dispatcher at the Mississippi County Sheriff’s Office.
It also was felt in parts of Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and northern Mississippi.
ATLANTA
Airport partly closed for explosives scare
Part of busy Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was shut down for two hours Sunday after police found a suspicious truck apparently abandoned at a curb and a bomb-sniffing dog indicated the presence of explosives.
A bomb technician found that the U-Haul truck contained fireworks and nonexplosive nitroglycerin heart medication pills, which is what the dog had detected.
The north terminal’s baggage claim and ticketing area were closed, and about 1,000 arriving travelers had to wait to receive their luggage.
