Catechesis

The Pope’s cat, Chico, has written a new book, called "Joseph and Chico: A Cat Tells the Life of Pope Benedict XVI," which will be published by Ignatius Press in March. From the press release: In this beautifully illustrated book for children, Chico the cat describes the life of his "best friend", Pope Benedict, in this authorised biography of the Pope for young people approved by the Vatican. "Dear Children, here you will find a biography that is different than others because it is told by a cat and it is not every day a cat can consider the Holy Father his friend and sit down to write his life story," the Pope’s personal secretary, Monsignor Georg Ganswein, says in the foreword. The Pope is known for his fondness of animals, especially cats, and Joseph and Chico is narrated by Chico, a real cat who took up with the Pope in his native Germany long before he became the Pope. Chico tells the story of the life of "my best friend" from his birth in Germany in 1927, through his days as a young man, priest, bishop and cardinal. With a colorful and sometimes amusing language, the author makes this funny cat tell us about the life of the young Joseph all the way up to his election as Pontiff on April 19, 2005. It recounts the Nazi era in Germany when the Pope was a teenager, calling the war years "one of the most dramatic and shameful times in the history of man". Later when he became Cardinal Ratzinger, Chico recounts how each time when the Cardinal returned to Germany from Rome for a vacation, the cat would run into his house and sit on his lap as he played the piano." I’m sure it will be a charming book, and promises to be a bestseller as well, but the temptation for any reviewer to refer to the Catechism, catechesis, catechumens, the Catacombs or, for more spiritually minded journals, kataphatic prayer, will prove irresistible. As it has here. " Joseph and Chico "