Pope asks for prayers on anniversary

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VATICAN CITY, April 15 (UPI) -- Pope Benedict on Sunday asked pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square to "pray that the lord gives me more strength" on the anniversary of his accession.

Benedict addressed a group of 40,000 in a short speech before the Marian prayer of the Regina Coeli, Italian news agency Agenzia Giornalistica Italia reported.

"Next Thursday on the seventh anniversary of my election to the See of Peter, I ask you to pray for me, so that the lord gives me the strength to accomplish the mission entrusted to me," the pope said.

In his speech, Benedict also compared the resurrection of Christ to the Christian community gathering together every Sunday to worship.

"The celebration of the lord's day is very strong evidence of the resurrection of Christ, because only an extraordinary and overwhelming event only could have induced the early Christians to start a worship different from the Jewish Sabbath," he said.