Wishing our Holy Father Emeritus Papa Benedict XVI a Blessed 91st Birthday!
16 April 2018
Greatly beloved Papa Benedict
We send you all our Love
and our Prayers
on your 91st Birthday
He plans to spend his birthday in private, in the Vatican Gardens, with his brother Georg, who is 94.
Just like last year, he will most likely celebrate the day in a Bavarian style, which will remind him of the tastes of his land.
Throughout this year, Benedict has found all the rumours about his delicate health quite humorous. He even wrote a letter to an Italian newspaper to thank them for paying so much attention to him.
Past recent birthdays have seen Benedict celebrate the day with a pint of beer.
His personal secretary, long-time aide and prelate of the Vatican Household, ArchBishop Georg Gaenswein, said “Certainly, his physical strength is lessening. It’s hard for him to walk. However, he uses a walker, which ensures autonomy in movement and safety,” the aide said.
The rhythm of Benedict’s retirement in a monastery on Vatican City grounds consists of “prayer, meditation, reading, study, correspondence,” Gaenswein said. “He has visitors, too. Music certainly still has its place, together with a daily walk.”
AnaStpaul 