Melissa Tamura writes about online degree programs for the Zen College Life blog. She most recently ranked the top criminal justice schools in the USA. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her cats, much like His Excellency.
—
Pope Benedict XVI is a very gentle and erudite man who has unique talents and tastes just like the rest of us. In fact, he has many special traits that make him a very human and very unique individual. Here is a look at seven things about Pope Benedict XVI that you may have never known that demonstrate this point very well.
Did you know that Pope Benedict XVI love of cats was a gift from his mother?
The Holy See has loved cats since he was a little boy growing up in Germany. This fondness for cats stems from his mother’s own adoration for the creatures. She taught him that they can love people unconditionally and that they only ask for the simplest things in return. This special gift has followed Pope Benedict XVI wherever he has gone.
Did you know that Pope Benedict XVI cannot drive a car?
In fact, Pope Benedict XVI has never learned how to drive a car in his life. He has never seen the need for driving around in a car because he grew up in areas where cars could not be used so well. As a result, he has always relied on other people to drive him.
However, Pope Benedict XVI is a licensed pilot who can legally fly small-engine planes or helicopters.
In fact, he is one of the oldest licensed pilots in the world. He puts this license to good use because he has been known to fly the Vatican’s official helicopter to fly to official functions and official residences.
Pope Benedict XVI also has a very whimsical sense of humor that is not seen often by the public.
The best example of this sense of humor is an authorized children’s biography that is called Joseph and Chico: the Life of Pope Benedict XVI as Told by a Cat. This book chronicles his life from his boyhood up to his time as a Cardinal. It was produced with Benedict’s help and it demonstrates a side of him that many people do not often get to see.
Pope Benedict XVI is one of the few sitting popes to release an album for commercial sale.
Pope Benedict XVI has a great fondness for classical music that started when he was a young boy and a teenager. This love of classical music inspired him to learn to play the piano.
This hobby was turned into a charitable proposition when he became one of the first popes to release a record album during his reign. He released Alma Mater: Music from the Vatican to celebrate the 2009 Christmas season and to provide income for music programs for underprivileged children.
Pope Benedict XVI is an erudite scholar who has published 40 books on spiritual matters.
Many people tend to forget that Pope Benedict XVI holds a doctorate degree and a habilitation qualification in theology studies that demonstrate his ability to do serious scholarly research. This scholarly ability made him very popular in among European religious scholars. It has allowed the Holy See to publish at least 40 books on several aspects of the Catholic Church.
Finally, Pope Benedict XVI enjoys engaging in friendly debates about many subjects.
This is another side of Pope Benedict XVI that is hardly ever seen in public. However, many staff members seem to enjoy talking about his debating skills and his desire to reach out to people who have different points of view about religious subjects.
As you can see, Pope Benedict XVI has many interests and talents that most people don’t know much about. Perhaps you can learn more about Pope Benedict XVI’s personality and talents to see for yourself what a dynamic human being he is. It would be well the worth the effort to do so.
Hello Sarah…
I am a catholic too. I love god…
But… I have watched this church founder on the rocks of obdurate traditionalism.
I don’t think you have to worry about your church becoming another liberal christian train wreck.
The conservative traditionalists who have run the show since the murder of John-Paul I, are doing a fine job without any outside help.
I personally think we all should pray…
Slainte,
Conrad.
This is a sweet post. Thank you. But I think it contains some small errors.
1. “His Excellency”?? The Pope is addressed as His Holiness. ( Not that he would mind, he is not egoistic in the least.)
2. The reason he doesn’t drive a car has probably more to do with the fact that he grew up in an environment and family where money did not grow on trees and he walked or biked everywhere since his early childhood. When he later worked and taught in large towns and cities he continued this healthy life style or sometimes used a bus.
The story that he is a pilot of helicopters and small engine planes who fly around to official functions and “residences” is really highly unlikely, to put it mildly. It has been heard before but it is unlikely that the Vatican and his personal physician will allow a Pope of 83 to attempt this. ( Cute story, however!)
3. Joseph Ratzinger /Benedict XVI’s literary output 40 books? Never! It is much, much larger.
Benedict XVI is one of the last truly “renaissance” personalities meaning he is very widely developed in terms of thought, feeling and general personality. Holistic in the best sense of the word, I would say.
He has one other important characteristic, according to those who know him: he can laugh at himself and does not take himself too seriously.
A very special Pope.
Thanks for the post!
Wow what an interesting post. Funny how the Pope cannot drive a car, but he can handle the Vatican’s helicopter. How did you find out this information? No matter how you did, still an impressive and interesting post. Thanks for sharing as always!
I absolutely love this story. Thank you so much for posting. I cracked up at the thought of the Holy Father taking public transport and flying a helicopter or plane.
This post is full of crap that’s not true.
his vw golf was bought on ebay, so he drove, i call bullshit on this.
where did he learn his child fucking habit?
Nutjobs should stop idolizing him. He is detrimental to the fabric of humanity.
Well, was.. Thankfully he is gone. Hopefully the world will wake up and realize religion is 2 millennia old. When you know, people thought the earth was the center of the universe..