Cologne, Germany, Aug 17, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Pope Benedict XVI arrived in his native Germany today to celebrate World Youth Day 2005 with about 405,000 young people.
The Holy Father landed at the Cologne/Bonn International Airport today at noon (GMT). Several hundred WYD pilgrims, staff and Catholic faithful welcomed the Pope with cheers and applause.
As he stepped off of the Alitalia plane, a strong wind blew off his zucchetto (skull cap). He turned around briefly to try to retrieve it but soon changed his mind and quickly walked down the steps to greet German President Horst Köhler and his wife.
In his welcoming address, Köhler noted that this is the first foreign trip for the new Pope. “Welcome home! Welcome to Germany!” the president said in his opening remarks. “We are delighted that your first official visit abroad has brought you here to Germany.”