Benedict XVI, no-longer-pope, is resuming pleasures once crowded out of his stressful life: Reading, strolling in the gardens and playing the piano, according to the Vatican.<\/p>\n
So, can the pontiff emeritus finally have a cat again? Maybe.<\/p>\n
No pets were allowed in the papal residence in Vatican City. But there are kitties all over the enormous garden at the papal retreat, Castel Gandolfo. That\u2019s where Benedict is now ensconced for a few weeks until he can move to a residence being readied for him within Vatican City.<\/p>\n
In the archives at Catholic University, there\u2019s a 1958 comic book calledThe Cat from Castelgandolfo in which a fictitious kitty hung out with Pope Pius XI. And undated Web images show some plump felines languishing on the garden walls.<\/p>\n
The pope\u2019s brother, Rev. Georg Ratzinger, in his 2011 book, My Brother, the Pope, describes Joseph-who-became-Benedict as someone \u201cvery tenderhearted; he loves animals and flowers.\u201d Back in 1968, when Rev. Joseph Ratzinger was a theology professor in the Bavarian town of Tubingen, a neighbor\u2019s cat visited him daily.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt even accompanied him to his lectures and to Mass. It was a black cat, a very intelligent pussycat,\u201d the older brother writes.<\/p>\n
In 2005, Georg Ratzinger\u2019s housekeeper in Germany told MSNBC that the pope\u2019s personal cat, Chico, was under the care of the person who tends the pope\u2019s private residence there and another neighborhood cat visited Chico often.<\/p>\n
So, if Georg wants to bring Chico along for a visit, there are two hotels in Castel Gandolfo that advertise they are \u201cpet friendly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once Benedict returns to live at the Mater Ecclesiae (Mother of the Church) refurbished apartment inside the Vatican City State, there are countless cats already afoot that could cozy up to a known soft touch. (source)<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Really we need a Kitty Conclave to help him to ge an appropriate cat.<\/p>\n
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