Murphy-O'Connor Offers Pope Prayers and Good Wishes on 80th Birthday

The head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales has led a special mass at Westminster Cathedral in honour of Pope Benedict XVI who celebrated his 80th birthday on Monday.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor also wrote a letter to the Pope offering his good wishes and prayers on his birthday.

"The Holy Father is a man who has dedicated his life to prayer, study, reflection and teaching in faithful service of God and the Church," he wrote.

"On behalf of all Catholics in England and Wales I am pleased to offer Pope Benedict our sincere devotion and our prayers for his continued good health and fruitful ministry."

Pope Benedict celebrated his birthday by offering thanks to God and his family during a huge mass celebration on Sunday followed by a low-key celebration on Monday during which he heard music by his favourite composer, Mozart.

Thousands gathered in St Peter's Square to join the festivities at the event, which was combined to celebrate the Pope's second anniversary since his election.

"To all I say the most heartfelt 'thank you'," Pope Benedict declared in a sermon following the mass, "and I extend that to the whole Church which, like a real family, surrounds me with its affection particularly at this time."

He included his family in his thoughts, testifying that his parents had been role models for him: "I thank God because I was able to experience what family means."

In his comments, the Pope also paid tribute to his predecessor who died two years ago: "He lived under two dictatorships [Nazism and Communism] and, in his direct contact with poverty, need and violence, he deeply experienced the power of darkness, which also besets the world today."

Thursday will be the anniversary of Pope Benedict's election as pontiff, which took place on 19 April 2005 following the death of Pope John Paul II, who had been Roman Catholic head for almost 27 years - one of the longest in history.