Pope says visit to Germany to be personal, chance to thank people

Published: 2006-08-31

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI's September pilgrimage to southern Germany features 14 liturgies or religious encounters and only three public secular events. That fact alone says a lot about the pope's homecoming visit and about his entire papacy to date. From Sept. 9 to 14, the 79-year-old pontiff will return to his Bavarian roots, stopping in Marktl am Inn where he was born, in Altotting where he used to pray at a local shrine, in Regensburg where he taught and in Munich where he was a bishop. Along the way, he will preside over a string of public Masses, prayer services, processions and blessings. The visit is predominantly personal and religious, and the pope explained why in a recent interview with German TV and radio. "I want to see again the places where I grew up, the people who touched and shaped my life. I want to thank these people," the pope said.

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