CHICO, THE POPE'S CAT
by Matthew Schofield, Knight Ridder Newspapers
REGENSBURG, Germany, April 21 -- 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."
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.
Agnes Heindl has been Georg Ratzinger's (the Pope's older
brother) housekeeper for 10 years, and she's come to know the new
pope well. She said she often drove then-Cardinal Ratzinger to his
house after the brothers had shared Sunday dinner. His favorite
foods were Weisswurst -- the traditional white Bavarian sausage --
and anything sweet. She said he's known for trying every type of
Christmas cookie at a party.
"Oh, he could just talk about anything, really," she said. "He
liked to talk about friends and how people he knew were doing. He's
a very pleasant man to have a conversation with."
She spoke with him again this week. He called on Wednesday
morning, after getting busy signals at his brother's house Tuesday
night. "The Holy Father called, and all I could do was stammer, 'So
how do I address you now?' He laughed," she said.
She said she's glad she heard him laugh. His new job isn't
easy, and he'll need to laugh. She said that when he was relaxing,
there was never a mystery about what would make him laugh.
"Oh, cats," she said. "He loves them."
She pointed up a staircase to a wall full of painted plates,
each depicting a different cat. The brothers collected the plates
together, she said.
"When we were on vacation, a cat, a little kitten, would come
by, and he'd be giddy, almost giggling with joy," she said. "Cats
love him. They always go to him straight away. And he loves them
back."
Heindl doesn't think he can have a cat living in the Vatican.
"He was always content to play with the street cats," she said.
"I don't know much about Rome, but I know there's no shortage of cats
there."
Benedict still owns the house he bought on the edge of
Regensburg in 1970, but he visits only a couple times a year. The
city adjusted his deed this week -- it now lists the owner as "Holy
Father."
On Thursday afternoon, Chico the cat -- perhaps the closest
thing there is to The Pope's Cat -- strolled from the shaded arch
between the Pope's front door and his garage. Chico belongs to
Rupert Hofbauer, who looks after Benedict's garden and home.
Georg Ratzinger said he almost feels as if he's lost his
brother, knowing that it won't be easy to see him now.
"I thought he'd retire soon, and we would finally have a lot of
time to finish all the talks we've started through the years. We
talked about that, just this Christmas when he was home," Hofbauer
said.
"He thought it sounded nice, to retire, to take it easy. That's
not how it worked out though, is it?"
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I like him even more, now that I've read this story!!!! 
Be happy there at the Rainbow Bridge 
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