Regensburg, Germany, Sep 8, 2006 / 12:00 am (CNA).- The black, red and gold flags colors that were proudly displayed in homes and on cars throughout Germany during the World Cup have been replaced in the city of Ratisbona now by white and yellow, the colors of the papal flag, in anticipation of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Bavaria.

The president of the Marian Congregations for men, Father Heinrich Wachter, had the idea of distributing the papal flags.  He noted that many Germans “wanted to take part in the joy and enthusiasm experienced during the last World Youth Day in Cologne and during the recent World Cup.”

“Seeing the little flags with the papal coat-of-arms on so many cars is an opportunity for drivers to enthusiastically greet one another as they travel about the city,” he added.

A long-time neighbor of the Pope’s brother and friend of the Holy Father for decades, Father Wachter emphasized, “For us Catholics, it is an immense joy to have a German pope.  The flags are a visible sign of our faith and our solidarity.  My dream is that in few days everyone in Ratisbona will be draped in the papal flag.”  He said that in recent days he has received more than 700 requests for the papal colors.

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