Pope Benedict XVI (R) celebrates a mass in front of the Cathedral in Erfurt, eastern Germany, on September 24, 2011, on the third 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