Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag Papst Benedikt XVI!

In English, those German words in the title mean - Happy Birthday Pope Benedict XVI! (Please correct me if I'm wrong.)

The Pope (born Joseph Ratzinger) is celebrating his 82nd birthday tomorrow (April 16). So today, I came 'googling' for some things about him and chanced upon this site that features some of the things you need to know about the current pope.

Of course, what's really more important to know (and to live) are the teachings of Pope Benedict (as the Vicar of Christ). However, it's also good to know some trivial facts about him. Here are some of it:

1. His parents are Joseph and Maria Ratzinger (a great combination, I think).

2. His father was a policeman and his older brother is also a priest (Msgr. Georg Ratzinger).

3. He is a great piano player. Of Mozart, Pope Benedict XVI said, “His music is by no means just entertainment. It contains the whole tragedy of human existence.” Pope Benedict XVI said that Mozart “thoroughly penetrated” his soul in his growing-up years in the 1920s and 1930s in rural Bavaria, near Salzburg, Austria, Mozart’s birthplace.

4. The Pope is a cat lover.

5. He loves mozzarella cheese made from buffalo milk.

6. Pope Benedict XVI's favorite meal is Bavarian potato ravioli with pancake strips.

7. The Pope doesn't have a driver's license because he never learned to drive but he has a pilot's license for the papal helicopter and likes to fly from the Vatican to the papal summer residence, Castel Gandolfo.

8. He said that organ donation is an 'act of love' and carries his donor card with him all the time.

9. You can reach Pope Benedict in the following email addresses:
English: benedictxvi@vatican.va
Italian: mailto:benedettoxvi@atican.va
Spanish: benedictoxvi@vatican.va
French: benoitxvi@vatican.va
German: benediktxvi@vatican.va
Portuguese: bentoxvi@vatican.va

10. On his 81st birthday, the White House prepared this cake for him:

Happy Birthday Pope Benedict XVI! :-) We love you!

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