Pope Benedict has celebrated an outdoor Mass in his southern German homeland of Bavaria.
The Mass comes as part of his three-day visit to Germany.
On his arrival, the Pontiff was greeted by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The 79-year-old hopes his visit to Bavaria will arrest the decline of religious observance in Germany. More than 100,000 people are said to leave the German Catholic Church every year.
Pope Bendict criticised Germany's Catholic development agencies for being slow to support efforts by African bishops to 'spread the gospel message'.
He said Catholics in the developed world urgently need to learn to 'fear god'.
