There were some public displays of emotion by former members of the papal staff: his chauffeur shed a few tears as the pontiff entered his Vatican limousine for the last time and a group of nuns also wept publicly - but Benedict himself remained dry-eyed.
At the end Mr. Bush wept, and not only because the Bush men are weepers but because he means every word of what he says, and because he loves his country, and was moved.