22 October 2008
Pope Benedict visited Sardinia in September and stopped off at the basilica of Our Lady of Bonaria in Cagliari to meet some of the centenarians of Sardinia. Residents of the Mediterranean island have amongst the highest rates of longevity in the world.
Amongst the 30 centenarians Pope Benedict met inside the basilica was Antonia Girau, a 106-year-old who greeted the 81-year-old with “I wish you will reach my age, Your Holiness”
Sardinia is known as “The Island of the Centenarians” and has one of the highest rates of people reaching the age of 100 in the world: a rate of about 1.5 people per 10,000 aged over 100 compared to 1 per 10,000 in most other parts of the developed world. The people’s genetic makeup and low-stress agrarian lifestyle are the likely explanations.
Pope Benedict said mass to 150,000 outside the basilica including the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. In contrast, during his visit the pope also addressed 60,000 of the island’s youth, urging them to consider traditional family values rather than the excesses of consumerism.
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