OK, Chico, you've got a rival now... Cats have never made as many headlines as they have, with Benedict XVI! Were there ever any 'pet' stories about JP2?...
Cat becomes a star
after meeting the Pope
By Tim Ross, Religious Affairs Editor
08 Oct 2010
The Pontiff greets Pushkin, held by Father Anton Guziel.
Pushkin, the Birmingham Oratory cat, has become an unlikely religious hero after the Pope paused during his state visit to 'bless’ the feline and tickle his ears.
The 10-year-old black half-Persian secured his audience with Benedict XVI after howling at the Holy Father during his visit to the Oratory last month. A famous cat-lover who is said to have fed strays in Rome, the Pontiff stopped to stroke Pushkin.
His owner, Father Anton Guziel, said: “As soon as the Pope arrived the most terrible howling could be heard. There was an awesome presence there and Pushkin wanted to acquaint himself with it."
"Once the Pope had prayed, he saw the cat and smiled delightedly and came over and he started to talk to him. He said, 'Aren’t you pretty, aren’t you pretty? What’s his name? How old is he?’
"Then he stroked him, tickled him under the ears and shook Pushkin’s paw. At that point the cardinals all rushed in and started taking photographs.”
Fr Anton said Pushkin had received a stream of fan mail since the encounter. “He had a letter from Canada from a priest who also had a cat called Pushkin who sadly died. Then he had a nice card with an embroidered cat on it from a lady, and mail from some cats who live in a Carmelite convent in Wolverhampton.”
Pushkin is also “a good friend” of Princess Michael of Kent, Fr Anton said. “They correspond and send Christmas cards to each other. He has added the Pope to his Christmas card list.”
An earlier version of the above story, with a few more details about the Pope's visit to the Oratory, was on a UK-based Catholic news site:
Pushkin has put on
'hairs and graces'!
by Amanda Dickie
Oct. 1, 2010
Pope Benedict is well known as a cat lover. As Cardinal Ratzinger he used to feed the strays of Rome and as Pope he has kept two cats in the Vatican. During his recent visit to the UK he had an unexpected encounter with Pushkin, the Birmingham Oratory cat.
Fr Richard Duffield, Provost of Birmingham Oratory and Actor for the cause of Blessed John Henry Newman, was responsible for the logistics of the beatification ceremony.
He said that the event and the entire Papal visit was a great success, as he expected it would be, despite “the sound and fury” beforehand. He was particularly moved by seeing his parishioners from the Oratory receive communion from the Pontiff.
Cardinal Newman was founder of the Birmingham Oratory and seeing the Pope in prayer in Newman’s room made a lasting impression, he enthused.
The Pontiff toured the church, praying at Blessed John Henry Newman's shrine and in his private room, and met the staff and community. Fr Richard presented him with a rosary that had belonged to Cardinal Newman in a box made especially by carpenter John Leather, a parishioner of the Oxford Oratory.
Fr Duffield was also responsible for ensuring that the Pope met a very important member of the Birmingham community. After private prayer in Cardinal Newman's room the Pope descended in a lift.
As the door opened, right on cue, he heard a cat mewing, and looked pleasantly surprised. The Provost ran after the Vatican TV crew and photographer who were exiting down the road and they rushed back to record the historic encounter.
Fr Anton Guziel, one of the community, went and fetched the half Persian black cat into the papal presence. The Pope was delighted to meet the cat sporting the Papal colours, with a yellow and white ribbon about his neck.
He inquired as to Pushkins' age - he is ten years old – and told the delighted feline in German, that he was very pretty. Pushkin extended a paw to the Pope who took it smilingly. He stroked him under the chin and tickled his ears whilst Fr.Anton held him.
According to Fr Anton, Pushkin maintained “a dignified and prayerful silence”, throughout the encounter. The priest bought the cat with him two years ago when he joined the community and Pushkin has settled in as the Oratory cat, greeting visitors and maintaining a correspondence with Princess Michael of Kent, another noted cat lover.
Since the Pope's visit, Fr Anton says Pushkin has gained “hairs and graces!” Pushkin now expects to be placed on the Papal Christmas card list!
[The item gives a link to a videoclip of the Pope and Pushkin,
www.itv.com/central-west/catholic-cat02207/
but when I click on it, it says it is not viewable outside the UK.]
I love the pictures of Pushkin and the Pope! You can almost hear Benedict murmuring his delight....
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 09/10/2010 02:20]