German-born Pope Benedict XVI (R) receives a gift by German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Chancellery in Berlin on September 22, 2011, the first 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 / POOL / CZAREK SOKOLOWSKI