Happy Birthday Papa!

On the 15th April Pope Benedict XVI turned 83. Here is a short biography.
Pope Benedict Fan Club have a great little round up here.

Lucy baked a birthday cake for the Pope. Isn't this lovely?
Many other bloggers I enjoy also remembered him.
Like Mulier Fortis, and Fr Ray Blake, who put up this video on his blog:


Terry Nelson at Abbey Roads, wishes him a happy birthday, and also writes a lovely post about St Benedict Joseph Labre, whose feast day is on Pope Benedicts birthday.

John Michael, at St John Bellarmines put up this video in honour of the Popes birthday.
How well do you know the Pope?






The three brianiacs at The Sacred Page have written a nice tribute to him here.

Faith and Family Live, a great little online magazine, also send their greetings. They suggest emailing him too at:
benedictxvi@vatican.va Great idea!

Gabriel made a card for him and I liked it so much I wanted to keep it.
But that would be missing the point. So I photographed it instead ( using Patricks handy dandy i phone natch)

I just love that he included a map of Great Britain ( ahem, it has an extra 'I' in there Gabriel!) which he drew freehand.
He helpfully included a few major cities so that His Popiness can find his way from A to B. There's a little colour coordination going on there too. Check out the orange six counties. Interesting that Scotland and Ireland are both different shades of green.


I hope that the recent and ongoing savaging that the Pope is getting in the press will remind us to pray very much for him. He needs our prayers.


“Dear brothers and sisters, after the great Pope John Paul II, the cardinals have elected me - a simple, humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord...
The fact that the Lord can work and act even with insufficient means consoles me, and above all I entrust myself to your prayers,” the new pope said in his first public address. “I entrust myself to your prayers.”

Prayer for Pope Benedict XVI

Lord, source of eternal life and truth, give to Your shepherd, the Pope, a spirit of courage and right judgement, a spirit of knowledge and love.

By governing with fidelity those entrusted to his care may he, as successor to the apostle Peter and vicar of Christ, build Your church into a sacrament of unity, love, and peace for all the world.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.