[Pyro7480]

Viva il Papa!

[el_chupacabra]

Great shots. Thank you for this Pyro!

[starfish923]

Great pics.

[Pyro7480]

Pope Benedict XVI holds a statue of the Virgin Mary with Child given to him as a gift during an audience with German pilgrims in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican, Monday, April 25, 2005. Pope Benedict XVI, who is the first German pope in centuries, received a hero's welcome from his fellow countrymen who came to Rome to attend his installment Mass on Sunday.(AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

Specifically, that statue is of Our Lady of Altötting. Altötting is a Bavarian town where there is a shrine to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pope Benedict XVI was born only a short distance from there. Coincidentally, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception dedicated an oratory of Our Lady of Altötting on 16 April 2005, (then) Cardinal Ratzinger's 78th Birthday.

[tiredoflaundry]

Thanks!

[ELS]

Thamk you. Were there any pictures from the Mass at the basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls?

[Thorin]

Thanks for the great pictures. Once people get a chance to see for themselves what type of man Benedict is, it will be hard for the smear artists to keep their campaign going.

[shhrubbery!]

Thanks again for the daily thread, Pyro.

I like this man. A LOT. I think he will be a great pope.

So don't get me wrong. I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade here, but I think we should prepare ourselves for a possible bit of disappointment with the new pope's views regarding the church and socialism.

Now I believe that as Cardinal Ratzinger, he clamped down on 'Liberation Theology' in Latin America (or was it only John Paul II who did that?).

But according to a couple of non-liberal panelists on Meet the Press yesterday, he holds fairly socialistic views.

The editor of First Things, Joseph Bottum, said the new pope favors the "third way" (hypothetical middle road between capitalism and Marxism) --which supposedly the Germans have tried to practice for the last half century. (Never mind that Germany has terrible unemployment and economic stagnation now!)

Bottum said that if John Paul II had said "Three cheers for democracy, and two cheers for capitalism," then Benedict XVI is now going to be saying only "one cheer for capitalism."

[GipperGal]

Did you see all the Bavarian flags at the Inagural Mass? I don't think I've ever seen so much lederhousen outside an Octoberfest!

[Pyro7480]

Pope Benedict XVI is greeted by a crowd during a visit to Rome's St Paul's Basilica April 25, 2005. A shy Bavarian thrust into the limelight by his election last Tuesday, he smiled amid the flashing camera lights and touched grasping hands, then drew laughter and applause when he apologised for arriving late from an inter-religious meeting. 'Germans are known for being punctual -- it seems I've become a bit of an Italian,' he joked. REUTERS/Osservatore Romano

Pope Benedict XVI blesses pilgrims during his visit to the Basilica of St. Paul outside the walls in Rome, Monday, April 25, 2005. In his first official visit outside the Vatican City, the pontiff prayed in the packed Rome Basilica and visited place where the Apostle Paul, co-founder of the Church with Peter, is believed to have been buried. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Benedict XVI leads a prayer in the Basilica of St. Paul outside the walls in Rome, Monday, April 25, 2005. In his first official visit outside the Vatican City, the pontiff prayed in the packed Rome Basilica and visited the place where the Apostle Paul, co-founder of the Church with Peter, is believed to have been buried. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Benedict XVI attends a celebration service in the Basilica of St. Paul in Rome April 25, 2005. The new Pope Benedict praised dialogue with Muslims for the first time on Monday and issued another call for Christian unity, renewing a theme he has made a hallmark of the early days of his papacy. REUTERS/Alessia Pierdomenico

Pope Benedict XVI wipes his face during a celebration service in the Basilica of St. Paul in Rome April 25, 2005. The new Pope Benedict praised dialogue with Muslims for the first time on Monday and issued another call for Christian unity, renewing a theme he has made a hallmark of the early days of his papacy. REUTERS/Alessia Pierdomenico

Pope Benedict XVI prays during a celebration service in the Basilica of Saint Paul in Rome April 25, 2005. The new Pope Benedict praised dialogue with Muslims for the first time on Monday and issued another call for Christian unity, renewing a theme he has made a hallmark of the early days of his papacy. REUTERS/Alessia Pierdomenico

Pope Benedict XVI is greeted by a crowd during a visit to Rome's St Paul's Basilica April 25, 2005. A shy Bavarian thrust into the limelight by his election last Tuesday, he smiled amid the flashing camera lights and touched grasping hands, then drew laughter and applause when he apologised for arriving late from an inter-religious meeting. 'Germans are known for being punctual -- it seems I've become a bit of an Italian,' he joked. REUTERS/Osservatore Romano

[padfoot_lover]

Thanks for the great pictures today. I'm glad his brother has been there for him; that must give the Holy Father great comfort.

[TAdams8591]

Die Bilder sind WUNDERBAR!!!! Danke!

[cpforlife.org]

This is an awesome thread.

Pope Benedict XVI is an awesome man, Priest, Bishop and Pope.

Renewed sense of Hope and Joy.

Thanks Pyro.