LORETO - Pope Benedict XVI celebrated a giant mass Sunday at Loreto in front of half a million young Italians, telling them to eschew pride and consumerism and take care of the environment.
"Go against the current, don't listen to the numerous voices advocating lifestyles based on arrogance, violence, success at all costs and outward appearances and the possession of material things," he said.
The pontiff called on young believers to adopt a "lifestyle that is sober and interdependent, with relations that are sincere and pure and with an interest in the common good."
He also exhorted them to protect the environment, asking the congregation to "react urgently ... to recreate a strong bond between Man and Earth and to reverse trends which risk causing irreparable damage."
Members of the huge congregation received kits containing a prayer book in recycled paper, a manual battery recharger and biodegradable rubbish bags.
The pope left by helicopter for his summer home at Castel Gandolfo on the hills outside Rome after the mass.
"The appeal (of the pope) on the environment really pleased me, as it is a problem that involves all of humanity," Italian Prime Minister Romani Prodi said in Jordan, ANSA reported.
09/02/2007 19:57 GMT