COLOGNE, Germany - He sailed the Rhine to fish for souls, spoke frankly to Muslims about terrorism, celebrated Mass for a million to African drums and Indian sitars, and, in his soft, clear voice, urged Christians and Jews to "love one another."
In the four days of his trip to his native Germany - his first foreign travel since his election April 19 - Benedict XVI further defined his young papacy and how his style will differ from his friend and predecessor, John Paul II.
He wrapped the trip up Sunday with a triumphant Mass for pilgrims attending the World Youth Day Festival in Cologne, Germany. A million people, most of whom slept outside all night to take part, spread out over the Marienfeld, or Mary's Field, in a peaceful, upbeat throng.
During his closing homily at Sunday Mass, Benedict told those gathered that there was a "strange forgetfulness of God," while at same time the sense of frustration and dissatisfaction has led to a "new explosion of religion."
"I have no wish to discredit all the manifestations of this phenomenon," he said. "Yet, if it is pushed too far, religion becomes almost a consumer product. People choose what they like, and some are even able to make a profit from it."
"But religion constructed on a 'do-it-youself' basis cannot ultimately help us," he said.
Benedict used the journey to make it clear he intends to press on with many of John Paul's initiatives, especially the Polish pope's outreach to other faiths.
Benedict, who did the theological groundwork for much of John Paul's public diplomacy, imitated his predecessor's visit to a synagogue in Rome, the first such papal visit in history.
It was the dramatic highlight of Benedict's trip - a pope entering to the sound of a shofar, or ram's horn, standing quietly during Hebrew prayers for Holocaust victims, being serenaded by the choir with "shalom alechem," or "peace be with you."
"We need to show respect for one another and to love one another," Benedict told Jewish officials, the words "love one another" being an ad-lib addition to his prepared text.
He made blunter statements during a meeting with Muslim officials, raising the issue of terrorism, which he called "cruel fanaticism," and urging older Muslims to educate the young generation in the ways of piece.
Yet in addition to the emphasis on John Paul's interfaith outreach, it was clear Benedict was putting his own stamp on the papal visit. There were none of John Paul II's exuberant theatrical gestures such as kissing the ground on arrival, donning of African headdresses or shuffling to the music. Instead, Benedict, a former theology professor, read his speeches slowly in a soft voice and shyly waved and smiled at the loud applause that greeted him every time he came out in public.
He also chose not to repeat John Paul's frequent admonitions to young people about the Roman Catholic Church's bans on premarital sex and the use of condoms and other forms of artificial birth control - even though his views and John Paul's are the same.
And he made no promise to attend the next World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, in 2008; John Paul would always end World Youth Day - which he founded in 1984 - by saying he'd come to the next one.
Yet the throngs from almost 200 countries embraced him with the same huge turnout and warm welcome as they did John Paul.
"Beeen-e-DET-to, Beeen-e-DET-to," they chanted, using the Italian version of his name. When he mounted the bow of a cruise ship to sail down the Rhine, hundreds of thousands crowded both banks of the river.
He expressed serious concern on another of his favorite themes, the need to evangelize a Europe that has become increasingly secular despite its centuries of Christian belief - although the huge turnout for the Sunday Mass was clear evidence that the church still retains influence.
"Even in traditionally Catholic areas, the teaching of religion and catechesis do not always manage to forge lasting bonds between young people and the church community," he told German bishops shortly before his departure.
At the Mass, he urged the church's next generation to wisely use the freedom God gave them.
"Freedom is not simply about enjoying life in total autonomy, but rather about living by the measure of truth and goodness so that we ourselves can become true and good," he told the crowd.
He urged people not to forget Sunday Mass when they arrived back in their home countries: "If you make the effort, you will realize that this is what gives a proper focus to your free time."
Benedict's visit was also his first homecoming as pope to his native country. He was born in Marktl Am Inn in Bavaria, and said in his farewell remarks at the airport that he hoped people had seen another Germany to counter the shameful memory of Nazi rule and World War II.
"During these days, thanks be to God, it has become quite evident that there was and is another Germany, a land of singular human, cultural and spiritual resources," he said.
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