Pope makes first trip

Pope Benedict XVI yesterday made his first trip outside Rome since his election six weeks ago, flying by helicopter to the south-eastern port city of Bari for the culmination of a Catholic conference where he called for Christian unity.

The Bavarian Pontiff took the opportunity of the trip to underline the commitment to bringing all followers of Christ together that has been a dominant theme of his papacy since his first comments after the election.


In his sermon at an outdoor Mass in the city, attended according to the Vatican by 200,000 people, the Pope said, "I want to repeat my willingness to assume, as a fundamental commitment, working to reconstitute the full and visible unity of all the followers of Christ, with all my energy ... How can we communicate with the Lord if we don't communicate among ourselves?"

Pope Benedict also took an outing through the cheering crowds in a boxy, bullet-proof Popemobile of the type made famous by his predecessor.