Pope meets German leader and challenger

Pope Benedict XVI today met German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and the chancellor's challenger in September 18 elections, Angela Merkel, in a courtesy visit ahead of a key meeting with Muslim leaders from Germany’s Turkish community.

Merkel, leader of the Christian Democratic Union and the daughter of a Protestant minister, said after the meeting that “it was a great joy to see the Holy Father. It was great to meet a German Pope on German soil”.