[Gocamino] The new Pope on the Camino?

[Blaroli at aol.com]

Hello you all,
The Newspaper "El Diario de Leon" of today's date reports that yesterday, and 
the day before, the hospitalero of the Molinaseca albergue in El Bierzo, 
named Afredo,  declared on TVE (Television of Spain)  that he has a postcard sent 
to him in the year 2000 by the then Cardinal Ratzinger.  According to Alfredo 
the Cardinal had stayed in the Molinaseca albergue, while on his way back from 
Santiago to Rome for the 2000 Jubilee.  Alfredo claims that the then Cardinal 
sent him a postcard some days later from Montpellier, France, thanking him 
for his attentions and commending him to be a good Christian and to pray for 
him, the Cardinal.
Alfredo says that the postcard is signed "Joseph Ratzinger. future Pope 
Benedict XVI"!
After the TV appearances the Leon newspaper got in touch with Alfredo who 
reiterated that he has such a postcard, but he declined a personal interview 
because, he said, "he has been besieged by people wanting to meet with him."

During TVE newscasts on April 21 & 22 Alfredo did show a postcard which 
contains a signature very similar to the actual signature of Cardinal Ratzinger, 
according to writing experts.

However, neither the Nuncio, nor the Leon, Astorga or Santiago Dioceses have 
any record of such visit by the then Cardinal, and they insist that such visit 
would not have gone unnoticed since the Cardinal occupied a prominent 
position in Rome as the late Pope's right hand man.

Further, "El Correo Gallego",  one of the princiupal Santiago newspapers, 
published an interview two days ago with Msgr.Barrio, the Santiago Archbishop, 
during which the Archbishop stated that last February, in a reunion with Bishops 
from Spain in Rome, then Cardinal Ratzinger told him that  he very much 
wanted to go to Santiago and pray before the tomb of the Apostle because he had 
heard so much about the Camino.

While everything is possible, most church officials in Spain doubt very much 
that the Cardinal's visit would have gone unnoticed and that five years ago 
the Cardinal would have signed a postcard as "future  Pope Benedict XVI".

Who knows?

What is known for certain  about  the new Pope  is that he likes cats,  that 
he occasionally drinks beer, and that he plays Bach,  Bethoven, Brahms and 
Mozart on the piano at a concert pianist's level.

He also has a new personal e-mail address:  
                                     benedictXVI at vatican.va

Big hug!

Rosina