Pope Benedict’s 83^rd birthday marked quietly

(April 17, 2010) Pope Benedict XVI turned 83 on Friday, spending his birthday quietly with normal activities as numerous congratulatory messages from around the world poured in. Italian President Giorgio Napolitano sent the Pope a message expressing his deep esteem for his elevated teaching. In the Vatican, the Holy Father doesn't celebrate his birthday, but rather his name day, the feast of St. Joseph, March 19. The Papal Foundation, a US-based charity group that supports papal initiatives worldwide, that met him on Friday gave the Pope a birthday cake and sang him "Happy Birthday." Meanwhile the Cardinal Newman Society based in Virginia, US, announced it had collected a bouquet of one million prayers for the Pope.