Pope Benedict's life story will be told in a new book by one of the Pope's favorite cats, Chico. It's on sale now in Italy. International rights are under negotiation.

According to the article in Metro UK, the forward by Monsignor Georg Ganswein begins:

"Dear Children, here you will find a biography that is different to 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."

Indeed. And why is that? Oh, right, because most world leaders do not take dictation from their cats. (Dogs are another matter. Let's not forget Millie Bush or Barney Bush.)

But they're not crazy. In his introduction, the Monsignor writes, "Keep in mind that the cat is writing from his point of view. At the end of the day he is a cat, even if he is a cat who is a friend."

The cat tells a story that lasts from 1927 to 2005. World's oldest cat? Ghost cat?

Bad cat? According to the cat-narrator, one time he scratched the future pope and, "He forgave me right away but told me: 'Don't do it again.'"

And that, children, is what being the Pope is all about.