Millions greet Pope on his 80th birthday

The Pope Benedict XVI celebrated his 80th birthday, April 15, with a special Mass in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, giving thanks to God for protecting him even greetings poured in from millions of Catholics worldwide.

"The whole of India is with him and loves him. Pope Benedict has been very close to the Indian Church. The Holy Father has a keen understanding of the conditions under which the Church works and carries out her Mission in India," Cardinal Telesphore P. Toppo, chairman of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), said, specifically thanking the pontiff for his understanding and love for the Church in India. "Pope Benedict has shown special affection and concern for India, elevating an Indian – Cardinal Ivan Dias – to a position of responsibility overseeing the mission in Asia."

Bishop Thomas Dabre of Vasai also sent his greetings, remembering the Pontiff's "great courage" in pursuing ecumenism among Christians and encouraging a dialogue with other religions. As a theologian, the prelate said that he was "impressed" by Pope Benedict's focus on the concept of God as love.

Sister Nirmala, superior general of the Missionaries of Charity, an Order founded by Mother Teresa, said in a personal message, "We your children, the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta and all over the world and the poor under our care, wish you a very happy birthday! We thank God in a very special way for your dear parents and family for their beautiful gift to the Church. We assure you of our prayer. Please pray for us and bless us."

Nationwide, a special mass was celebrated in every diocese in the Pope's honor.

In Sri Lanka, thousands of Catholics celebrated the second anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI's pontificate at National Basilica of Our Lady of Lanka in Tewatte by taking part in a special mass.

The service was presided by Archbishop Mario Zenari, Apostolic Nuncio to Sri Lanka, and Archbishop Oswald Gomis of Colombo. In his homily, Archbishop Gomis reiterated the Sri Lankan Church's "respect and gratitude" for the Pope to whom he wished God's "protection to continue his valuable mission."

Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister Karu Jayasuriya greeted the Pope on behalf of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, saying that the Sri Lankan government appreciated the pontiff's "good mission" and wished him good health.

In his greetings message, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke in favor of closer ties between Moscow and the Vatican.

Putin, the first Kremlin leader since the 1917 Bolshevik revolution to publicly profess his faith, has spoken in favor of ending a long–running feud between the Roman Catholic church and the Russian Orthodox church to which he belongs.

There is speculation the new warmth could signal that a meeting is possible between the pontiff and Alexiy II, patriarch of the Russian Orthodox church.

Putin met the Pope last month for the first time since the German–born Pontiff took office two years ago and on Monday, April 16, sent him a congratulatory letter and an icon entitled "1,000 years of Russia's Baptism" as a birthday present, the Kremlin press office said.

"I warmly remember our recent meeting in the Vatican," Putin's letter said. "It has confirmed that Russia and the Holy See have close views on a wide range of international issue and modern problems faced by the mankind today."

The Orthodox Church accuses Catholics of trying to win converts in Russia and neighboring Ukraine, which it sees as its traditional sphere of influence.

Several attempts to arrange a personal meeting between Patriarch Alexiy II and Pope Benedict's predecessor, John Paul II, failed. Patriarch Alexiy has said such a meeting could only take place if the Vatican reviews its policy in Russia and Ukraine.

Putin has said he would not mediate in the row. But analysts have claimed that a meeting between the Pope and Patriarch could be a big international success for the Kremlin leader, who is preparing to step down next year after eight years in office.

The Italian President, Giorgio Napolitano, also extended his birthday greetings, mentioning the "deep and longstanding links between Italy and the Holy See" and wished the Holy Father "long life and good health."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel congratulated Pope Benedict XVI, saying the Pope's "theological radiance, deep faith and personal conviction," had made an impact in the Catholic Church and society in general over decades.

Merkel, herself the daughter of a Lutheran pastor, published her message to the Pope, Sunday, a day before his actual birthday, saying her personal encounters with the Pope had always left her enriched.

"I wish you health, strength and God's blessing for the year ahead," she said.

Earlier the Chancellor attended a service in St. Hedwig's Cathedral in Berlin, along with the ambassadors to Germany from Belgium, Austria, Guatemala, Macedonia, Peru, the Philippines and Togo.

Also on Sunday, in the small southern town of Marktl am Inn, where the Pope was born on April 16, 1927, Bishop Wilhelm Schraml formally opened to the public the house he was born in.

Bishop Schraml affixed a crucifix to the wall of the room where the Pope was born and blessed the building. The life and work of the Pope are documented in the house.

Leading mass in the nearby parish church of St. Oswald, where Joseph Ratzinger was baptized hours after his birth, Bishop Schraml described the Pope as a "teacher of theology of genius."

Meanwhile, in an unusually personal homily, the Pope referred to the conclusion of a large part of his life and thanked God, his family and friends.

"I thank God because I have been able to experience what 'family' means; I have been able to experience what 'fatherhood' means, so that the words about God as Father were made understandable to me from within; on the basis of human experience, access was opened to me to the great and benevolent Father who is in Heaven," he said.

"I thank God for enabling me to have a profound experience of the meaning of motherly goodness, ever open to anyone who seeks shelter and in this very way able to give me freedom," he continued.

"I thank God for my sister and my brother, who with their help have been close to me faithfully throughout my life. I thank God for the companions I have met on my way and for the advisers and friends He has given to me," he added.

"I am especially grateful to Him because, from the very first day of my life, I have been able to enter and to develop in the great community of believers in which the barriers between life and death, between Heaven and earth, are flung open. I give thanks for being able to learn so many things, drawing from the wisdom of this community which not only embraces human experiences from far off times: the wisdom of this community is not only human wisdom; through it, the very wisdom of God – eternal wisdom – reaches us," he said.

"Mercy is the garment of light which the Lord has given to us in Baptism. We must not allow this light to be extinguished; on the contrary, it must grow within us every day and thus bring to the world God's glad tidings," he said. "In these days illumined in particular by the light of divine mercy, a coincidence occurs that is significant to me: I can look back over 80 years of life."

"To all I say the most heartfelt 'thank you,' and I extend that to the whole Church which, like a real family, surrounds me with its affection particularly at this time," the Pope said in a sermon after the mass.

He said his father Joseph, a police chief, and mother Maria, had been role models for him and drew parallels between his own family and the wider family of God.

The Pope also remembered his predecessor, John Paul II, who died at age 84 on April 2, 2005.

"He lived under two dictatorships," Pope Benedict said, referring to Nazism and Communism, "and, in his direct contact with poverty, need and violence, he deeply experienced the power of darkness, which also besets the world today."

The pontiff also made himself available to meet and greet hundreds of cardinals, bishops, dignitaries and tens of thousands of pilgrims who journeyed to Rome.

The Mass was led by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican Secretary of State.

In his opening address, Cardinal Sodano praised Pope Benedict. "We are gathered around this altar to give him thanks for his two years of service as our guide," he said.

The Mass was the first part of a celebration which coincides with the second anniversary of the pontiff's election.

Benedict was elected Pope on April 19, 2005 after the death of John Paul II, a Pole whose papacy of nearly 27 years was one of the longest in history.

Hundreds of yellow and white flowers – the Vatican's official colors – decorated the steps and altar area in front of the St. Peter’s basilica in Rome. Many in the crowd carried banners with the slogan "Happy Birthday Holiness."

To celebrate the Pope's birthday, the Vatican post office issued commemorative stamps. As an added bonus for the 1,000 strong Vatican work force, a day off and a £300 bonus was announced.

Pope Benedict, an accomplished pianist, celebrated his birthday with a lunch with cardinals, followed by a concert of Mozart and Dvorak performed in his honor by the Stuttgart Symphony Orchestra at the Vatican. He also received a new portrait of himself, commissioned by the Vatican and done by Russian icon artist Natalia Tsarkova.

Also on the Pope's birthday, April 16, his new book Jesus of Nazareth went on sale in Italy, with 350,000 copies available from the first press run.

About the Pope Benedict XVI:–

The Pope was born Joseph Ratzinger, on April 16, 1927 in Marktl Am Inn, a riverside town in Bavaria. He was a quiet, thoughtful child and seemed headed for the priesthood from an early age.

Living in Germany, he experienced the totalitarian regime during World War II and was drafted into the army, but was never sent to the front.

Ratzinger was ordained into the priesthood at age 24. He began a long and successful career as a professor, teaching philosophy and theology. He became archbishop of Munich in 1977 and, later that year, he was made a cardinal.

For more than 20 years, Ratzinger served as the prefect of the powerful Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He was a close friend and adviser of Pope John Paul II. Ratzinger was elected in a short conclave and took the name of Benedict, on April 19, 2005.

After his election, Pope Benedict visited Poland – the home of his predecessor – where he stopped to pray at the Auschwitz concentration camp. Papal spokesman Father Federico Lombardi remembers that trip as very significant.

"We have to remember, I think, the visit to Auschwitz, very impressive," he said. "The German Pope that was praying and meditating in this place of the memory of one of the most important tragedies of mankind."

Last year, Pope Benedict also visited his native Germany, where his comments at a lecture at Regensburg University caused a storm in the Islamic world.

Quoting a Byzantine emperor, Benedict said "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new and there you will find only things evil and inhuman."

In November, Benedict traveled to Turkey where – as Father Lombardi points out – he tried to mend his relations with the Islamic world.

"The trip to Turkey was really very important also, because it happened after the discussion on the speech in Regensburg," he said. "That was a very important occasion, to clarify the good relationship and the attitude towards the Muslim world."

Benedict has shown he will continue to travel, like his predecessor. He has a trip scheduled to Brazil, next month. He has also shown he is very different from John Paul. He appears much more shy, although he now appears more at ease with the big crowds that gather for his masses.

Similarly to Pope John Paul, he has also continued to promote a conservative agenda on issues such as abortion, euthanasia, gay marriage and priestly celibacy. He has also made clear he wants to further dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox.