Cardinals vow support to pope

ROME - Sitting in the marbled hall Friday where Pope John Paul II lay in state after his death, Benedict XVI greeted Roman Catholic cardinals who knelt before him one by one after pledging their support.

The new pontiff, wearing the long white robes of his position, thanked the cardinals for electing him. He told the cardinals that he would need their help to serve as "pastor of the universal church."

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