Pope, in last Sunday address, says following God's wishes

VATICAN CITY (REUTERS, AFP) - Pope Benedict, speaking in his last Sunday address before his resignation, said he was following God's wishes, and that he was not abandoning the Roman Catholic Church.

The Pope, addressing tens of thousands of people at St Peter's Square with a strong voice, also said he would continue to serve and love the Church by praying and meditating after his historic abdication on Thursday. He said God had called him "to climb the mountain".

"The Lord is calling me to climb onto the mountain, to dedicate myself even more to prayer and meditation," he said to cheers of "Long Live the Pope!".

"But this does not mean abandoning the Church. Actually, if God asks this of me, it is precisely because I can continue to serve her with the same dedication and the same love I have shown so far," he said.