A surprising Cat-holic bestseller!

I'm referring to Joseph and Chico: The Life of Pope Benedict XVI as Told by a Cat, recently published by Ignatius Press and sitting at #141 on Amazon.com. One of the reviewers writes:

This is a great story for children about the life of Pope Benedict. It is written from the perspective of a beautiful tabby cat named Chico. He draws you into his story with the first sentence: "MEEOOOOW! I'm Chico, and who are you?"

Sprinkled with humor throughout the entire book, we also find a lot of very interesting information about the life of Pope Benedict. It is written in a fashion that will keep children interested even though there is a lot of text for a children's book.

Chico's great sense of humor shows in his reaction to war. He writes: "We cats do not make war. We don't even know what wars are. In order to make other cats aware that they are crossing over into our territory, or that they are courting a cat who's already engaged to be married, we put on a threatening look, raise the fur on our backs, puff out our tails, and screech at the top of our lungs, "RRRREEEOOOOOWWW!", which would frighten anyone. It's a shame that you humans are not so advanced."

And the book was prominently mentioned in this piece in today's edition of The New York Times:

The pope’s fondness for felines has been often remarked upon since his elevation in 2005. One prominent Catholic blogger based in California, who writes under the pen name Gerald Augustinus, claims to have a 2-year-old Siamese named Benedictus, or Benny for short.

And the recently published “Joseph and Chico: The Life of Pope Benedict XVI as Told by a Cat” (Ignatius Press, 2008) is a children’s book written by Chico with the “aid” of an Italian journalist, Jeanne Perego.

The book, which has been translated into 10 languages and has sold 12,000 copies in the United States, tells of young Joseph Ratzinger’s childhood love for all furry animals and of the adult cardinal’s deep bond with the narrator, who lives in the Bavarian village of Pentling.

“When I’d see that the shades were up next door, I knew he was home,” Chico writes. “Then I’d race over and rub up against his legs. What wonderful times we’ve spent together!”

Chico’s owner, Rupert Hofbauer, confirmed the substance of the book and said that Chico, now 10, misses his old friend, who has not been back to visit since becoming pope.

“Sometimes Chico goes over there on his own,” Mr. Hofbauer said in a telephone interview on Friday, “and he sits on the door sill or walks through the garden.”

Ms. Perego said by phone Friday that the pope’s brother, who lives near Pentling, continues to hang the current year’s cat calendar on the wall of the pope’s house and turn its pages every month in a sort of homage to his absent brother.

Though Benedict is the first pope to be written about by a cat, he falls squarely within a long Vatican tradition. According to “The Papacy: An Encyclopedia,” by Philippe Levillain, Pope Paul II, in the 15th century, had his cats treated by his personal physician. Leo XII, in the 1820s, raised his grayish-red cat, Micetto, in the pleat of his cassock. And according to The Times of London, Paul VI, pope from 1963 to 1978, is said to have once dressed his cat in cardinal’s robes.

Visit the book's web page and check out some sample images and pages. Buy a copy. Buy several copies. It's the purrfect gifts for young and old alike.

Comments

[Leticia Velasquez]

You've given me reason #398 to love Pope Benedict!
I had an orange tabby as a girl, and can't wait to share this delightful book with my daughters, who love the furry felines AND Pope Benedict.