Want to see the pope during his
visit to Germany in September?
Those interested in attending services in
Berlin, Erfurt or Freiburg can now register online, Catholic Church
officials have announced.
Tickets for the appearances by Pope Benedict XVI can be requested at www.papst-in-deutschland.de
Pope fans without internet access can register personally with the local
parishes. For security reasons, only those with tickets will be
admitted to the services.
Although an address to the German parliament and meetings with top
politicians have long been planned for the pope’s official state visit,
Church leaders were reportedly so worried about possible low attendance
in Berlin that they debated whether to have a public mass during his
visit.
The late Pope John Paul II drew large crowds during his 1996 visit to
Berlin, but many in the crowds were actually Poles who wanted to see
“their” pope.
The election of then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in April 2005 to succeed
John Paul II was a source of great pride in Germany, whose population is
about 30 percent Roman Catholic.
But sexual abuse scandals involving
priests have done serious damage in Germany, with a major public outcry
and a wave of members leaving the Church.
The 83-year-old pontiff has himself faced allegations that he failed to
take action against paedophile priests while serving at the Vatican's
watchdog for morals and doctrinal issues, as well as during his stint as
the archbishop of Munich.