"Mostly a pilgrimage", the motto of which was "Looking to Christ", "moving towards Mary who shows us Jesus". This was said by the Pope, who devoted the whole of today’s general audience to ideally going over the steps of his seventh apostolic journey in Austria (7-9 September), for the 850th anniversary of the Sanctuary of Mariazell. Benedict XVI, in a Saint Peter’s Square that was particularly overcrowded, defined Austria a country "where I feel at home, both because it borders on my native country and because of the many contacts I have with it". Then, the Pope "heartily" thanked card. Schönborn, archbishop of Vienna, and all of the country’s bishops "for the great efforts made in preparing my visit" as well as the Austrian Government and all the civilian and military authorities for their "effective help"; in particular, Benedict XVI thanked the Austrian President "for the friendliness with which he welcomed me and came with me through my visit". The first stop was Mariensäule, "the historical column" on which stands the statue of the Immaculate Virgin, where the Pope met "thousands of young people", before he moved to the Judenplatz to "pay tribute to the monument that commemorates the Shoah".
