Pope Benedict XVI has marked the holiest night of the year for Christians with an Easter vigil service (AP)
12 April 2012
Pope Benedict XVI has marked the holiest night of the year for Christians with an Easter vigil service in St Peter's Basilica in Rome during which he baptised six people.
Benedict began the ceremony by lighting a candle that symbolises the resurrection of Christ, which the faithful mark on Easter Sunday.
After he walked down a darkened central aisle of St Peter's in silence, the hundreds of faithful in the pews shared the flame from candle to candle until the basilica twinkled and the lights came on.
This year, students of the Legion of Christ, the conservative order undergoing a major Vatican-mandated overhaul, provided the liturgical service.
