Pope said to speak about Vatican II experiences

Vatican city, Feb 14 (AP) Pope Benedict XVI is continuing his farewell tour with an off-the-cuff meeting with Roman priests, an annual encounter that has taken on poignant new meaning with his impending resignation. The Vatican has said Benedict would reflect today on his personal experiences as a young theological expert attending the Second Vatican Council, the 1962-65 meetings that brought the Catholic Church into the modern world. Benedict spent much of his 8-year pontificate seeking to correct what he considers the misinterpretation of Vatican II, insisting that it wasn't a revolutionary break from the past, as liberal Catholics paint it, but a renewal and reawakening of the best traditions of the ancient church. During an emotional final public Mass yesterday, Benedict lamented the internal rivalries that have "defiled the face of the church." (AP) AJR GVS 02141623 NNNN