Popa Benny passes One Million Mark

... and still going strong:

Total attendance breaks 1 million for Pope Benedict's audiences

Vatican, Apr. 12 (CWNews.com) - With at least 20,000 people attending the Wednesday public audience by Pope Benedict XVI on April 12, the total attendance at papal audiences during the past year has surpassed 1 million.

The prefecture of the pontifical household estimated the crowd at the Wednesday audience at 20,000. Most observers felt that estimate was extremely low, and the Vatican Information Service put the figure at 40,000.

But even the lower figure pushed total attendance at Wednesday audiences above 1 million since the start of Pope Benedict's pontificate. This was his 46th weekly audience.

Pope Benedict will be turning 79 this Easter Sunday! Many groups sang him happy birthday at today's wednesday audience, and he's already getting cakes (and nice ones, at that!):