Pope Benedict XVI blesses Olympic flame
'May this flame remind everybody of the values of peace and brotherhood'
 | Pope Benedict XVI greets faithful from Congo as he celebrates a solemn mass during the feast of the Immaculate Conception in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Thursday. |
Alessia Pierdomenico / Reuters |
ROME - With a blessing from Pope Benedict XVI, the Olympic flame began its journey across Italy to the Turin Winter Games.
“May this flame remind everybody of the values of peace and brotherhood that are at the basis of the Olympics,” Benedict told a crowd in St. Peter’s Square on Thursday.
A Swiss Guard abandoned his colorful uniform and antiquated weaponry to don a tracksuit and hold aloft the sleek torch — designed to look like the curved top of a ski — for the pope’s blessing.
The beginning of the torch relay coincided with a church and national holiday in Italy, the Immaculate Conception. Benedict made the blessing from his studio overlooking the square after offering the customary prayer for the holiday.
Thousands of people took to the streets on a sunny but cold day to watch the flame pass by Rome’s historic landmarks, including the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon and Piazza Navona.
“The cold doesn’t matter, I’ve always seen the flame on television and I wanted to see it live,” said 60-year-old Bruna Scalvini, who came to see Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi light the torch for Athens marathon gold medalist Stefano Baldini — the first torchbearer.
The flame is “a symbol of human civilization, the desire for progress and brotherhood,” Ciampi said. “After Greece, Rome is its second home.”
Baldini lifted the torch to the sky as a band played the Olympic hymn, then jogged downhill from the presidential Quirinal Palace to the Trevi Fountain.
“It was very emotional,” Baldini said. “It’s moments like these that make you want to continue.”
Baldini recalled that the flame represents peace as he addressed ongoing protests against a high-speed rail link in the northern region where the Olympic will take place.
“I hope there is some sort of truce for the Olympics,” Baldini said. “We organized these games and our reputations as Italians are on the line, the Olympics are watched all over the world.”
Protests in the Susa Valley, home to some Olympic competitions, have escalated into frequent clashes with police. A few mayors of the Alpine towns in the area skipped the Rome ceremony to stay home and monitor the situation, news agency Apcom reported.
 |
Pier Paolo Cito / AP Italian Vatican security officer Luca De Leo, left, hands over the Olympic flame to Vatican Swiss guard Anton Kappler in front of St. Peter's Basilica. |
The flame’s first day on Italian roads ended with a run past the Colosseum and the lighting of a cauldron at the Michelangelo-designed Campidoglio on Rome’s Capitoline Hill, the exact spot where the relay began for the 1960 Rome Summer Olympics.
The relay continues in the Italian capital Friday, when soccer players Francesco Totti of AS Roma and Paolo Di Canio of city rival Lazio take part.
The 64-day trek will cover 7,022 miles through Italy and neighboring countries, involving 10,000 torchbearers, gondolas in Venice, a Ferrari sports car, and a cavalry regiment.
|
Torchbearers include Moroccan runner Hicham El Guerrouj, Italy soccer coach Marcello Lippi, New York Yankees manager Joe Torre, and all Italian gold medalists from the Athens and 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.
The final torchbearer, whose name has not yet been revealed, will light the flame at the opening ceremony in Turin on Feb. 10. Ski great Alberto Tomba is considered the favorite for the honor.
- Discuss Story On Newsvine
-
Rate Story:
LowHigh - Instant Message
MORE FROM WINTER OLYMPICS |
 Winter Olympics Section Front |
| Add Winter Olympics headlines to your news reader: |
Sponsored links