Catholics flock to the Vatican for Pope's 80th
Candles to celebrate Benedict XVI's 80th birthday
Telegraph
By Malcolm Moore in Rome and Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent
Last Updated: 1:46am BST 14/04/2007
Thousands of Roman Catholics were descending on Rome last night as the Vatican prepared to celebrate the Pope's 80th birthday.
The faithful from Benedict XVI's native Germany were arriving bearing gifts including bone china and teddy bears dressed in papal garb.
They were to be joined by many more from around the world flocking to pay tribute at a special Mass tomorrow to a pope whose calm manner and ability to quietly go about his business has won him many plaudits in the two years since the death of his predecessor John Paul II.
The Pope will then attend a birthday concert of the music of Mozart and Dvorak at the Vatican on the eve of his actual birthday on Monday.
Dr Joaquin Navarro-Valls, a key member of the late pope's stunningly successful papacy and the head of the Vatican's communications department for 22 years, led the tributes yesterday to Benedict, describing him as a man of "elevated, perhaps even unreachable, composure: discreet, alert and Roman".
His words formed part of a growing chorus of praise for the Pope, who has surprised almost everyone with his firm but gentle leadership.
Dr. Navarro-Valls said Benedict's character stemmed from his Bavarian birth, which gave him "both the shy and sober character typical of Northern people and the genuine vitality and fantasy of the Mediterranean."
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posted by Dr. Denice Hanley, DPM, M.Div. @ 1:08 PM
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