By Phil Cain

MARIAZELL, GRAZ - 9th September 2007: Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday ended a three-day visit to Austria in which he re-stated his conservative beliefs and led rallies of those still faithful despite scandal.

A decade-long string of revelations, most recently the conviction of a student priest for possessing child pornography in 2004, has led many Austrians to abandon the church, with the proportion of believers falling from 73% in 1991 to 67% last year.

The centrepiece of the Pope's trip the was a pilgrimage on Saturday to Mariazell, a lofty alpine town marking its 850th year. Around 30,000 people stood in driving rain to welcome him, cheering a late arrival heralded by a helicopter appearing through the clouds and mist.

The multilingual service was attended by pilgrims from across the region, including groups from Bosnia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. "I don't know what to expect," said Bisera Cosancic, a first-time pilgrim from Kupres in central Bosnia.

The Pope's Austrian host, Vienna's Archbishop Schönborn, stressed the importance of Mariazell as a focal point for the people middle Europe, as did raincoat sponsors Raiffeisen, "We are the leading bank in EU accession countries and for them Mariazell is a extremely spiritual place."

The pope, however, did not mention multinational unity. Instead he re-iterated his view that abortion is wrong and that religious orders should remain chaste. The day before he had warned Austrian politicians that abortion was the "very opposite" of human rights.

"It is not my view, but everyone knows the Pope is conservative on these things," said Erber Gernot, a 20-year old pilgrim from Krems in lower Austria. "I liked the idea of pilgrimage and this seemed like a good occasion."

"He is conservative, but he is open to political dialogue," said Benedikt Griperlt, a  national flag waving 18-year old travelling as one of a group of 15 from Hessen in central Germany. "As a fellow German, we feel especially close to him."