Vatican employees to celebrate pope's birthday with day off, bonus

Published: 2007-03-29

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Vatican employees will celebrate Pope Benedict XVI's 80th birthday with a day off from work and a fatter paycheck, said an announcement from a top Vatican official. April 16 will be a holiday for all Vatican workers, said the March 27 statement from Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of state. Employees also will receive about $667 more in that week's paycheck to mark the celebration. Pope Benedict will begin his birthday celebrations early by saying a special Mass April 15 in St. Peter's Basilica. The Vatican also marks as holidays April 19, the day of the pope's 2005 election, and the "name day" of the pope March 19, the feast day of St. Joseph, because Pope Benedict's birth name is Joseph Ratzinger.

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