'As the trend in the ballots slowly made me realize that - in a manner of speaking, the guillotine would fall on me - I started to feel quite dizzy,' a smiling Benedict said, clearly joking. 'I thought that I had done my life's work and could now hope to live out my days in peace. I told the Lord with deep conviction, 'Don't do this to me.'
Speaking in his native German, Benedict, 78, told the audience that a cardinal slipped him a note of paper reminding him what he had preached about Christ calling Peter to follow him even if he did not want to go.' Evidently, this time he didn'listen to me,' the pontiff said.