Melissa Tamura writes about online degree programs for the Zen College Life blog. She most recently ranked the top criminal justice schools in the USA. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her cats, much like His Excellency.

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Pope Benedict XVI is a very gentle and erudite man who has unique talents and tastes just like the rest of us. In fact, he has many special traits that make him a very human and very unique individual. Here is a look at seven things about Pope Benedict XVI that you may have never known that demonstrate this point very well.

Did you know that Pope Benedict XVI love of cats was a gift from his mother?

The Holy See has loved cats since he was a little boy growing up in Germany. This fondness for cats stems from his mother’s own adoration for the creatures. She taught him that they can love people unconditionally and that they only ask for the simplest things in return. This special gift has followed Pope Benedict XVI wherever he has gone.

Did you know that Pope Benedict XVI cannot drive a car?

In fact, Pope Benedict XVI has never learned how to drive a car in his life. He has never seen the need for driving around in a car because he grew up in areas where cars could not be used so well. As a result, he has always relied on other people to drive him.

However, Pope Benedict XVI is a licensed pilot who can legally fly small-engine planes or helicopters.

In fact, he is one of the oldest licensed pilots in the world. He puts this license to good use because he has been known to fly the Vatican’s official helicopter to fly to official functions and official residences.

Pope Benedict XVI also has a very whimsical sense of humor that is not seen often by the public.

The best example of this sense of humor is an authorized children’s biography that is called Joseph and Chico: the Life of Pope Benedict XVI as Told by a Cat. This book chronicles his life from his boyhood up to his time as a Cardinal. It was produced with Benedict’s help and it demonstrates a side of him that many people do not often get to see.

Pope Benedict XVI is one of the few sitting popes to release an album for commercial sale.

Pope Benedict XVI has a great fondness for classical music that started when he was a young boy and a teenager. This love of classical music inspired him to learn to play the piano.

This hobby was turned into a charitable proposition when he became one of the first popes to release a record album during his reign. He released Alma Mater: Music from the Vatican to celebrate the 2009 Christmas season and to provide income for music programs for underprivileged children.

Pope Benedict XVI is an erudite scholar who has published 40 books on spiritual matters.

Many people tend to forget that Pope Benedict XVI holds a doctorate degree and a habilitation qualification in theology studies that demonstrate his ability to do serious scholarly research. This scholarly ability made him very popular in among European religious scholars. It has allowed the Holy See to publish at least 40 books on several aspects of the Catholic Church.

Finally, Pope Benedict XVI enjoys engaging in friendly debates about many subjects.

This is another side of Pope Benedict XVI that is hardly ever seen in public. However, many staff members seem to enjoy talking about his debating skills and his desire to reach out to people who have different points of view about religious subjects.

As you can see, Pope Benedict XVI has many interests and talents that most people don’t know much about. Perhaps you can learn more about Pope Benedict XVI’s personality and talents to see for yourself what a dynamic human being he is. It would be well the worth the effort to do so.

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