Pope Benedict XVI blesses the audience as he visits the Cathedral of Freiburg, southwestern Germany, on September 24, 2011, on the third 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 / ALBERTO PIZZOLI