Benedict XVI: A look back at the cat-loving pope's favorite feline friends

Benedict XVI greeted a fluffy black cat named Pushkin during his visit to the Birmingham Oratory established by St. John Henry Newman. / Courtesy of the Birmingham OratoryRome Newsroom, Jan 1, 2023 / 12:10 pm (CNA).The late Benedict XVI was known for his intellectual acumen as a theologian and philosopher, but perhaps his most relatable quality was that he was a cat person. As we remember the life and legacy of the pope, here is a look at his favorite feline friends from Bavaria to the Vatican gardens:Vaticats"God's Rottweiler" was actually more of a cat-lover than an attack dog. When Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future Benedict XVI, served as the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he would often feed the many cats that lived in the Vatican gardens.Jeanne Perego, the author of a children's biography of the life of Benedict XVI through the eyes of a cat, told CNA how the Bavarian pope was a true "Cat-holic.""He never passed by a cat without petting...

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