Before Leaving Kenthurst, Zoo keepers showed Pope Benny different animals that are endemic in Australia. Pope Benny touched a Koala, a Python, A kangaroo and a Parrot. He also talked to a retired Police officer before finally leaving Kenthgurst for Sydney in preparation for his Super Thursday. Pope Benedict XVI has arrived in the centre of Sydney ahead of World Youth Day’s “Super Thursday”.

[Slideshow View]

After resting for almost four days at a rural retreat, the Pope arrived at St Mary’s Cathedral just after 6.50pm (AEST) today in a motorcade of around 10 white cars, led by three police motorbikes. He spent the rest of his time in Australia at St Mary’s Cathedral House, Sydney Archbishop Cardinal George Pell’s official residence. The motorcade took about 45 minutes to travel from the Opus Dei-run retreat at Kenthurst, on Sydney’s north-western outskirts. There were many pilgrims waiting around the cathedral, as well as a heavy security presence, but no one knew the exact time the Pope was due to arrive. The police bikes alerted some to the pontiff’s arrival, with US pilgrim Brandon Sceie and his father Ken filming the motorcade as it stretched down Macquarie Street and entered College Street.

“The cops were all standing around and they wouldn’t tell us what was going on,” Ken Sceie said. “But we were in a good spot.” Asked how it felt to be one of the few pilgrims to see the Pope’s arrival, Brandon, 15, said: “Pretty cool”. Since arriving on Sunday, the 81-year-old pontiff has been staying at Kenthurst as he recovered from his long-haul flight from Rome. He will begin “Super Thursday” at 7.30am (AEST) with a private mass in the chapel. Tomorrow is the Pope’s first day of official engagements during the six-day Catholic event, and his itinerary crisscrosses Sydney Harbour, the city’s north shore and city centre. The pontiff will meet Governor-General Michael Jeffery and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, attend an Aboriginal welcome at Rose Bay, travel down the harbour in his “boat-a-cade”, and address pilgrims when he disembarks at Barangaroo. After his address, he will hop in the Popemobile and travel through central Sydney to greet hundreds of thousands of people, with crowd estimates nearing the 500,000 mark.

Pope Benedict will be greeted by Millions in Sydney Australia today during Day 3 of WYD

WATCH FOR THE LIVE TELECAST OF POPE BENEDICT’S FIRST PUBLIC APPEARANCE IN AUSTRALIA HERE AT OTWOMD @ 12:30 NOON MANILA TIME