Sep 24, 2011 / 12:15 pm
Pope Benedict XVI told the people of Freiburg that he had come “in order to pray together” and “to proclaim the word of God and to celebrate the Eucharist.”
The trip to the city in the south west of Germany is the third and final leg of the Pope’s state visit to his homeland. Unlike his previous destinations, Berlin and Erfurt, Freiburg is predominately Catholic. Its residents opted out of the Protestant Reformation in 1520.
Pope Benedict arrived at the nearby Lahr Airport just before 1 p.m. From there, he made his way to the local cathedral, the “Munster,” which is dedicated to Our Lady. The pontiff made the last part of the journey by Popemobile, much to the delight of the sizable crowds.
After praying the Angelus in the cathedral, the Pope then emerged to greet local people gathered in the town’s Cathedral Square. He began by reminding them of the motto for his visit: “Where God is, there is a future.”