This is the first time in more than 600 years that two popes will be alive at the same time and in each other’s company. Usually one would have to die before the other takes over...but Pope Benedict XVI retired last month.
Pope Francis flew to Castel Gandolfo by helicopter today to visit Benedict who has been living at the papal villa since he officially retired on February 28. They prayed together in the chapel before sharing a private lunch.
Today is the birthday of Pope Benedict XVI. He turns 85 today and Thursday will mark the seventh anniversary of his election as pope, the 265th pope in a long line spanning the centuries from St. Peter onward.
Pope Benedict XVI was born in Germany and grew up under war reparations from World War I and as the Nazi regime was gaining power. He was briefly a member of the Hitler Youth in his early teens, after membership became mandatory in 1941. He turned to theological studies after the war, helping found the influential journal Communio. He was elevated to the papacy in 2005.
Born Joseph Ratzinger on April 16, 1927, in Marktl am Inn, Bavaria, Germany, the youngest of three children.
Pope Benedict XVI is now the oldest pope in the past 109 years and one of only six popes in the past 500 years to reign past the age of 85.
Also, Iniobong Monday Thomas has added another year to his age. Ini is a versatile sports presenter and a master of ceremonies. The second born in his family, Ini is the Managing Editor of Style Blitz Magazine.
He is an analyst on Sports Arena on AKBC Radio and various other sports shows both on TV and radio. His nice combination with the duo of Raphael Edem and Aniekeme Finbarr couldn’t be described with mere words, while his pronunciation of football terminologies and names of sports stars is second to none.
One of the high-points of his promising sports broadcasting career is when he went for HiTv Sports Reality show ‘Analysis This’.
