Pope Benedict XVI has been welcomed by tens of thousands of pilgrims to Al Totting, Bavaria's most important Catholic shrine.
After waving from his popemobile to cheering crowds, the Pope prayed briefly in the Chapel of the Miraculous Image before celebrating an open-air Mass at 9.30am Irish time.
He is scheduled to visit his birthplace in the neighbouring village of Marktl-am-Inn at teatime.
This is the third day of his six-day visit to his native Bavaria in southern Germany.
The nearby house where the pontiff was born had to be repainted after blue paint was splashed on it overnight.
Police described the incident as an act of vandalism rather than a protest.
News of the attack shocked residents of the village of Marktl-am-Inn, who awoke to the spectacle of blue splash marks on the bright yellow building which dominates their main street.
Some broke down in tears when speaking to reporters about the incident.
It has also caused major embarrassment for the security services who have been devoting huge resources to protecting Germany's most prestigious world figure during his six-day visit.
Local police said it was not clear who was responsible for the attack, which saw two bags of paint hit the house just before 5am local time, but that a search was under way.
