The Pope fascinates Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Depending
on the man, the year, and the historical situation, the Pope has been
reviled, laughed at, shot at, starved, crucified, and of course
revered. Few have been ignored. Many have been martyred,
and several are called saints.
This is a humorous - but polite - look at various popes and the
papacy. It is illustrated with cartoon-type drawings and each
page is headed with a question about the Pope. The first
question, of course, is the title of the book, the answer to which will
surprise many. Do popes party? Does the Pope own a
blender? What does the Pope do for Hallowe’en? Many of the
questions sound trivial, but the answers to the questions contain real
information.
If you ever wondered whether the Pope gets frequent-flier points or
carries a driver’s licence, you will find the answers here. There
are interesting tidbits of information about the Swiss Guard and the
papal household as well. In fact, there are lots of homely
details which people are inclined to ask of celebrities but hesitate to
ask the Pope.
The book succeeds in its goal of being humorous, but the writers have
done their research on such topics as papal infallibility and clothing,
as well as the backgrounds and idiosyncrasies of individual popes.
Moreover, they display no bias at all; it is impossible to tell whether
the writers are Catholic or not. As promised, it is a book of
facts.
For those wanting more serious or detailed data, the authors have
included a bibliography on the last page. There is also a list of
the popes from St. Peter to John Paul II, showing the years in which
each reigned.