More than 2.24 million pilgrims and visitors came to see Pope Benedict XVI in person at the Vatican or the papal villa at Castel Gandolfo in 2009.The crowds included people who attended a weekly general audience, a special audience with the pope, a liturgy he celebrated or his Sunday Angelus gathering at the Vatican or at the papal villa, said the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household, which released the annual statistics Jan. 5.
The total figure for 2009 was higher than in 2008 when more than 2.21 million people came; in 2007 there were more than 2.8 million pilgrims and visitors.
In 2006 -- Pope Benedict's first full calendar year as pope -- the total was more than 3.2 million.
According to the 2009 statistics, a total of 537,500 people attended one of the pope's 44 weekly general audiences. Another 115,600 people were part of groups that had a special audience with the pope.
Pope Benedict's Masses and prayer services drew 470,800 people and his Sunday and holy day recitation of the Angelus brought 1.12 million people to St. Peter's Square or to the courtyard of the papal summer villa at Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome.
The Vatican said its figures did not include the number of people who attended papal events that didn't take place on Vatican property, such as papal visits to Rome parishes, pastoral visits to other parts of Italy and the pope's encounters with residents during his summer vacation in northern Italy.
The statistics also did not tally the people who attended events with the pope during his pastoral journeys abroad, which drew an "extraordinarily high number of faithful," the Vatican said.
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SIC: CNS