After celebrating Mass with the cardinals who elected him, Pope Benedict XVI pledged that he would lead the Church on the path of unity, dialogue and evangelisation.

“I turn to everyone with simplicity and affection, to assure them that the Church wants to continue to build an open and sincere dialogue with them, in the search of the true good of man and society,” he said at the end of a liturgy in the Sistine Chapel April 20.

Pope Benedict said that, like his predecessor, he considered the Second Vatican Council the compass for the modern Church. In particular, he stressed his commitment to ecumenism and dialogue and said he was aware that “concrete gestures” were sometimes needed to promote breaking through old antagonisms.

At the same time, he said the chief priority for the modern Church is to announce Christ to the world.

The pope said he had been completely surprised at his election, which came on the fourth ballot of the conclave. He said he began his papacy with two emotions: a sense of “inadequacy” and the confidence that God would help him.

In his first major talk as pope, he went out of his way to say he would proceed along the lines taken by his predecessor.

“I want to forcefully affirm the strong desire to continue in the task of implementing the Second Vatican Council,” he said.

He said Vatican II's documents were especially relevant to the modern Church and today's globalised society and that the council's “authoritative” rereading of the Gospel would guide the Church in the third millennium.

Pope Benedict also stressed the need for close unity between the pope and the world's bishops. This collegial communion, he said, favours “unity in the faith, on which depends in large measure the effectiveness of the Church's evangelising efforts in the modern world.”

He asked bishops to accompany him “with prayers and with advice, so that I may truly be the ‘servant of the servants of God'.”

Pope Benedict pledged to make the search for Christian unity a special priority. He called ecumenism a “compelling duty” and said he would “spare no energy” in trying to bring Christian churches together.

Acknowledging his predecessor's special relationship with young people, the new pope pledged that the Church would continue to dialogue with them.

He said he intended to travel in August to Cologne , Germany , for World Youth Day celebrations -- a tradition begun by Pope John Paul.

Pope Benedict underlined the importance of the current Eucharistic Year, also an initiative of the late pope, saying the Eucharist would be at the centre of the Cologne festivities and of the Synod of Bishops in October.

The new pope recalled Pope John Paul with great affection and said he felt encouraged by the late pontiff as he began his own papacy.

“I seem to feel his strong hand squeezing mine; I seem to see his smiling eyes and listen to his words, addressed particularly to me in this moment: 'Do not be afraid!'” he said.

“By choosing me as the bishop of Rome , the Lord wanted me as his vicar, he wanted me to be the rock on which everyone can lean with assurance,” he said.

“I ask him to supplement my scarce resources, so that I may be a courageous and faithful pastor of his flock, always obedient to the inspirations of his Spirit,” he said .

(CNS)