Cardinals to mark Papal Anniversary

(April 15, 2010): Cardinals living in Rome will gather next Monday to mark Pope Benedict XVI's fifth anniversary as Pontiff. "This will be an opportunity to gather and not a meeting to talk about the sexual abuse crisis," a Vatican statement noted on Wednesday, clarifying rumours spreading in the Italian media.
The Pope will also celebrate his 83rd birthday on Friday, April 16. He was born in 1927 in Marktl am Inn, Germany. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the director of the Vatican press office, told reporters on Wednesday, that most likely, both his birthday and anniversary will be celebrated during his pastoral visit to Malta this week-end.