Pope Benedict XVI (R) shakes hands Katrin G?ring-Eckardt, vice president of the Bundestag and praeses of the synod of the Evangelical Church in Germany, while leaving the Erfurt protestant monastery of St. Augustin, on September 23, 2011, on the second day of the Pontiff's first state visit to his native Germany. The 84-year old pope, German born Joseph Ratzinger, has a packed program, with 18 sermons and speeches planned for his four-day trip to Berlin, Erfurt in the ex-German Democratic Republic and Freiburg. AFP PHOTO / ALBERTO PIZZOLI