Pope Benedict XVI (R) and praeses Nikolaus Schneider chat ahead of a mass at the Augustinian monastery in Erfurt, eastern Germany, on September 23, 2011, on the second day of his 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 / CHRISTOF STACHE