Aussies give Pope kitten to keep him company
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:25:00 07/15/2008
SYDNEY—Cat-loving Pope Benedict XVI has been given a kitten to keep him company while he relaxes and plays the piano ahead of World Youth Day in Australia, Church insiders told Agence France Presse on Monday.
The Pontiff, an avid feline fan whose home in Germany is filled with the animals and is guarded by a cat statue, has been given an 11-month-old tabby named Bella by his followers.
“Some of the faithful brought Bella into the Pope’s retreat to keep him company while he plays the piano,” said a World Youth Day source who declined to be identified.
“He is well known for his love of cats and the piano, and we wanted to make him feel at home,” the source added.
The Pope, who flew into Sydney on Sunday ahead of the start of World Youth Day celebrations, was holed up in an Opus Dei retreat outside Sydney where he is taking a four-day holiday following his 20-hour flight from Rome.
Bella, a tabby with thick grey fur, is “very playful . . . a little bit camera shy and loves cat food,” sources said.
The Pontiff, a music lover who enjoys playing Mozart, will have access to a baby grand piano at his retreat in Kenthurst, about 40 kilometers from the center of Australia’s biggest city.
World Youth Day spokesperson Danny Casey said the piano at the Opus Dei study center had been especially tuned ahead of the Pontiff’s visit.
The Pope will also have access to a tennis court in the wooded property. But he is unlikely to take advantage of that facility and is expected instead to keep to his routine of daily strolls, according to sources.
“We wanted to make it a genuine house of welcome for the Holy Father and to make it a place where he can really recharge his batteries after the longest flight he’s ever done,” Casey told commercial radio.
“He was very excited when he got off the plane. He looked a little tired, as you might expect . . . but he’s very focused and very excited about the week ahead.”
World Youth Day officially starts on Tuesday with a huge Mass to be conducted by Sydney Archbishop Cardinal George Pell. The Pope will join the celebrations on Thursday when he arrives at Sydney harbor in a “boat-a-cade.”
A 3.8-meter (12-foot) cross and 15-kilogram (33-pound) World Youth Day icon portraying Mary and Jesus completed a journey around Australia on Monday, arriving in central Sydney by ferry to be welcomed by hundreds of pilgrims.
“For us, the cross is a message from Christ,” said Italian pilgrim Paola Verde. “It’s a message of hope and love.”
Some 125,000 pilgrims from around the world are expected to attend World Youth Day.
The event, which has been held in different cities around the globe since 1986 in an attempt to rejuvenate the Catholic Church, ends on Sunday when up to 500,000 people are expected to be present at the Pope’s final Mass.
Agence France-Presse
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