The Pope's visit to Britain has been an "overwhelming success", according to the Government's organiser. Lord Patten of Barnes, who was parachuted in by David Cameron to take control of preparations after a series of setbacks, said the historic four-day trip proved that religion is still relevant and made people think more about their responsibilities towards society.
His assessment of Benedict XVI's visit was backed up by the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, which disclosed that it has already been contacted by dozens of members of the public keen to learn more about the faith.
Lord Patten, the former Governor of Hong Kong who is now tipped to become Ambassador to the Holy See, said: "The Papal visit has been an overwhelming success. It has clearly demonstrated the relevance of faith groups in general and the Catholic Church in particular today.
"I hope the visit will make us think deeper about the sort of society we live in and want to live in. I hope it will make us think more about our social responsibilities while encouraging a serious dialogue between religious and secular groups."
Meanwhile volunteers who have been manning the phones at the Catholic Enquiry Office received as many as 100 calls on Monday morning alone, just hours after Benedict returned to Italy.
Among those phoning was a Sikh woman, who said she had been moved by the first-ever state papal visit and wanted to find out how she could convert.
The church expects more calls to come in over the coming weeks, as happened in 1982 after John Paul II’s visit to the country.
“We have had some enquiries but it’s going to take some time,” a spokesman said.
Before the Pontiff arrived many feared that he would be greeted by half-empty arenas and angry protests, after preparation for the trip was marred by complex ticketing arrangements and the entire church was engulfed by allegations of clergy child abuse and cover-ups. It was also claimed that the 83 year-old German theologian would be seen as less charismatic than his “rock star” predecessor, John Paul II, further dampening public interest.
But as many as 500,000 people are thought to have seen Benedict either at the outdoor services in Glasgow, Hyde Park in Birmingham or lining the streets.
A well-attended protest march and rally took place in London on Saturday but was dwarfed by the number cheering and waving flags when the Popemobile passed by.
Millions more followed his appearances across the country online, church statistics show.
Video coverage on the official Papal Visit website was watched as many as 1.3million times over the four days of the trip, while the site itself had 1.7m page visits.
Many of those attending the open-air events, or following them online and on television, also took to the social networking website Twitter to express their opinions. The church believes that, despite high-profile protests, there were twice as many positive comments about the Pope than negative ones.
A spokesman said: “The people spoke more loudly than the cynics. The numbers on the streets, that was what touched the Holy Father.”
Benedict himself, having left Birmingham on Sunday evening, is now resting at his summer residence in Castelgandolfo, a lakeside down south of Rome.
The most senior Catholic in Britain, Cardinal Keith O’Brien, coined the phrase “Benedict bounce” to describe the positive effect the visit will have on the church.
“Already in Scotland we are talking about the ‘Benedict bounce’,” he told the Pope at Oscott College, Birmingham, on Sunday.
“Be assured, Holy Father, that we are bouncing back. You are reassuring us that Christianity is alive and well in our countries."