German soccer star returns to faith after meeting Pope
A veteran German soccer star says a meeting he had with Pope Benedict helped him rediscover his faith. In an interview with the Munich newspaper Abendzeitun, Franz Beckenbauer, who lead the German team to victory in the 1974 World Cup, said his audience with the Holy Father at the Vatican in October 2005 had made a profound impression on him. "It was the most important experience of my life" he said. After Pope visited Bavaria last year, Beckenbauer said he began studying the Pope's writings, and soon started going to church again - after a long gap. "Benedict XVI leads people to the Church and I myself am the best example of that," Beckenbauer said. Source: Abendseitun/ICN