Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Germany is being met with fierce protests and good-mannered responses from the faithful followers of Roman Catholicism as the papal visit begins its four day journey in Germany. This papal visit comes after preceding visits by the Pope to England and Spain where he was also met by supporters but outspoken critics and tens of thousands of disgusted protesters as well.

In contrast to Spain, the papal visit is less focused on how much money must be spent for the occasion but even more focused on the Church’s controversial teachings on “repenting” for abortions and other lessons in human sexuality.

At least 8,000 protesters initially gathered at the first visiting site of the Pope in Berlin demanding that the sexual abuse of children at the hands of numerous priests be somehow solved and compensated for as the Pope appealed to Germans to not “forsake the Church” just because of the sexual abuse scandals.

His appeal only made things worse as many took it to be a sign of indifference or that the Church just simply cares about the number of followers and not the state in which they are in.

Despite German Chancellor Merkel’s preemptive and rather surprising, non-secular appeal to German officials to not be outraged since Germany is “found on Christian principles”, a few hundred government officials and members of Germany’s parliament protested against the papal visit by simply boycotting the Pope’s speech and taking temporary leave.

Later, the Pope held mass for approximately 70,000 people who withstood the rainy weather at the Olympic Stadium.

Pope Benedict XVI’s itinerary includes visiting leaders of the Jewish and Muslim communities in Germany (one of the Jewish leaders have reportedly already criticized the Pope’s visit) and the monastery in Erfurt at which Martin Luther, the father of the Protestant Reformation, stayed at.

Pope Benedict XVI will also be dropping by Bavaria, his childhood home.

(Cover Photo: AP Photo/Gero Breloer)