Thousands turn out for Pope's Easter Mass

Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Easter Sunday Mass in rain-drenched St Peter’s Square and rejoiced over conversions to Christianity, a day after he baptised a prominent Muslim commentator.

A white canopy on the steps of St Peter’s Basilica protected the 80-year-old pontiff from the chilly rain, while thousands of pilgrims, tourists and Romans huddled under a sea of coloured umbrellas in the square.