One of the things the Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI enjoys most during his retirement is spending quality time with his beloved Chico. Chico is a black and white cat which Benedict had to leave behind in his personal home in Germany when he went to live in Vatican City. Benedict, a devout lover of felines, was informed that no cats were allowed in the Papal Apartments, and he allegedly complied with that regulation.
You would think that if you were asked "Well, who elected YOU Pope?" and you could legitimately respond, "the College of Cardinals," you could keep one lousy little cat around, but apparently you would be wrong.
Chico is actually a replacement Chico. Chico the First was an orange cat who lived in the Pope's hometown and was a friend of the Pope when the Pope was merely Joseph Ratzinger. This Chico allegedly wrote a children's book about the Pope from the viewpoint of a cat, but it is suspected that the real author was Jeanne Perego. Chico the First died after a long happy life of 17 years.
Rumor also has it that Benedict's relationship with the current Chico cannot be classified as exclusive and that the Holy Father may have had some other feline action on the side, including the winsome Contessina pictured below (who, as you can see, is also black and white).
I don't know if I'd shared this poem with you at the time, but I too was amazed at the Pope's lack of power in this regard:
ReplyDeletePapa sine Cattus
Opulent digs, big mitre hat,
power, huge staff, popemobile phat,
and for seven years
poor old Benedict
was not allowed to have his cat?!
I found the poem delightful. Are you the author?
DeleteI have often wondered if there is more to the cat story than we have been told.