Posted on 04/21/2005 7:44:46 PM PDT by wagglebee
REGENSBURG, Germany - When he was a cardinal, Pope Benedict XVI often delivered sermons at the German-language church in Campasanto Teutonico near St. Peter's Basilica, but his most heartfelt talks may have been the ones he gave after celebrating Mass.
"I went with him once," said Konrad Baumgartner, the head of the theology department at Regensburg University. "Afterwards, he went into the old cemetery behind the church.
"It was full of cats, and when he went out, they all ran to him. They knew him and loved him. He stood there, petting some and talking to them, for quite a long time. He visited the cats whenever he visited the church. His love for cats is quite famous."
Although his public image is that of a stern enforcer of church doctrine, in Regensburg, where the 78-year-old pope came into his own as a theologian, those who know the man known as "God's Rottweiler" say his soft, human side has been ignored.
The pope loves cats, can't resist Christmas cookies and, three months ago, waxed on about how he dreamed of retiring from the hectic life at the Vatican to enjoy his last years reading, writing and talking with friends.
His brother Georg still lives in Regensburg and is Benedict's strongest connection to the town he left for Munich when he became archbishop. Georg Ratzinger, also ordained in the church, spent decades as the musical director of the famous Regensburger Domspatzen boys' choir. He lives down a twisting cobbled street from the towering Gothic Regensburg Cathedral.
"The totally wrong picture is painted of my brother," he said Thursday in a dining room decorated with iconic art and photos and letters from Pope John Paul II. "He's a cheerful man, friendly. But he does have principles that he will stand for."
(Excerpt) Read more at beta.news.yahoo.com ...
"In our family, we were taught they were evil," he said.
A fact that the leftist media finds quite convenient to ignore.
A very interesting piece, pointing out how much Cardinal Ratzinger had wanted to retire and go home. But he stayed in Rome, because John Paul had wanted him to stay. And now he is staying in Rome, because the Holy Spirit wants him to stay.
Well, I'm a Protestant, but I have to admire a man who loves cats and seems to loved by cats. Most cat people (Bond villains excepted) are not domineering egomaniacal types because one must be willing to give up a certain level of control when having a relationship with a cat. A man owns a dog. It's more give and take with a cat. Definitely not a top-down power structure.
I wonder what the catholics in Wisconsin will do.
[Freepmail me to get on or off the Kitty Ping List.]
Dogs are slaves and subordinates. Cats are equal allies.
What a great article!
Conservative and loves cats. It doesn't get any better.
Soon to have a sequel: The Cat Who Knew A Pope!
(Just guessing)
Ping
Cats are selective in their "friendships." A dog will come to you instinctively, but you must convince a cat that you can be trusted.
The pope is a cat lover!
Uh-oh. Look out, DU-ers.
As a non-Catholic, the nickname 'Papa Ratzi' makes me smile - I find it rather endearing. And the more the MSM indulges in hissy fits, the more I'm prepared to like him very much.
Georgio says: "And VIVA BENEDICT !"
Here's another one: New Pope Keeps Vatican Hierarchy Intact
Another cardinal, Italian Tarcisio Bertone, who had worked as Ratzinger's top aide, described how the new pope always paid attention to the street cats around the Vatican and how they sometimes followed him as he walked to his office.
Bertone joked: "One time the Swiss Guards had to intervene: `Look, your eminence, the cats are laying siege to the Holy See.'"
There are a LOT of stray cats in Rome from what I've read. The Colosseum is full of them!
The Pope loves kitties??! Just wonderful...My bond with him is complete now!
CATS! The Pope Loves Cats?
I know my wife will adore that, but as for my two large dogs, they remain silent on this news.
Despite that horrible character flaw, he sounds like a great man.
;^)
I think the "German shepherd" pope needs to found a Swiss Guard division of the Viking Kitties. There are a lot of "progressive" trolls in the Catholic Church! ;-)
And there are all of those cats out by St. Paul's outside the walls! And Pope Benedict has a special love for that Basilica too!
Got that right. We had a cat who was an excellent judge of character. The guys that wanted to date my daughter had to pass inspection.
If the cat didn't like them, they invariably turned out to be greaseballs.
Oh...my...God...that...is...so...funny.
To that I'd add that my cat attacks liberal solicitors and buries anything with Kerry's face on it in his litterbox.
Smart cat.
An obvious MelCee ping ...
Cat lover ping
LOL! Quick thinking on Braun's book, Martin.
(^~^}
One might even say that the Pope is a Cat-o-holic.
Thanks for the ping. That is such a cute article about the new Pope.
One more reason the liberals will never warm up to him.
Pope ping. I thought this article was neat about the new Pope.
Absolutely. You don't own a dachshund, and if very lucky, you're owned by several.
Is it so smart, or did you already wipe 'something' with that picture of Kerry?
You may be mistaken, there. The cat is at the top of a top-down relationship.
"The pope... waxed on about how he dreamed of retiring from the hectic life at the Vatican to enjoy his last years reading, writing and talking with friends."
That's almost heart-breaking. God bless the man who is sacrificing his life for the church.
The first time it happened, I came in, put my mail down, came back and the picture of Kerry (on his campaign flyer) was missing. I found my cat burying it in his litterbox. Every time I've come in with mail bearing Kerry's face, I find it buried in his litterbox; I don't have to do anything to it.
Your cat has more sense than most democrats. Let us know who he like for 2008.
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