Papal trivia: 10 things you didn't know about Pope Benedict XVI
July 14, 2008 12:00am
2. Piano man
The Pope is known to tinkle the ivories and is a big fan of classical music - particularly Mozart, Bach and Beethoven.
3. Cat-o-lick leader
The Pope is a cat lover, and while he never owned one in his youth, he and brother Georg fed strays and collected cat plates.
4. Nice ones 'n' twos
His Holiness has resumed the sporting of red Papal shoes, which have not been used since the early days of Pope John Paul II. Contrary to media speculation the shoes had been crafted by Prada, the Vatican has confirmed they were made by the Pope's personal cobbler. The Vatican said, in response: "The Pope, in summary, does not wear Prada, but Christ."
5. He likes beer
Being Bavarian, it's no surprise his holiness loves beer - Franziskaner Weissbeer apparently being his favourite. He's said to be fond of lemonade, too.
6. He likes footy
The Pope is a passionate soccer fan who supports the German side Bayern Munich: "I'd like the game of football to be a vehicle for the education of the values of honesty, solidarity and fraternity, especially among younger generations," the Pope has said.
7. Lifelong dream
While most five-year-old boys think about being a footballer, fire fighter, police officer or soldier, the future pontiff declared he wanted to be a cardinal after he was among a group of children who welcomed the visiting Cardinal Archbishop of Munich to his hometown.
8. What's this I See? The Pope's father, Joseph Ratzinger, was a Bavarian police officer. Joseph Jr was the youngest of Joseph and Maria's three children. Big brother Georg is a priest and their sister Maria, who never married, died in 1991.
9. Dynasty
The Pope's great uncle was the German politician Georg Ratzinger.
10. Military man
The Pope was drafted into the German army in 1943, and it is well-known that he was in the Hitler Youth movement as a boy. However, because of an infected finger, he never learned to shoot in the army.
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