Therese Hofbauer pets her eight-year-old tomcat Chico inside the garden of the former house of Pope Benedict XVI in Pentling near Regensburg, southern Germany on Friday. A new children’s book Joseph an Chico: A cat recounts the life of Pope Benedict XVI, written by Jeanne Perego tells the story of Pope Benedict XVI’s life from his birth in Germany to his election as pontiff, seen through the eyes of Chico the cat. Chico belongs to the family Hofbauer, that lived next door to the Pope, then Joseph Ratzinger.

 Pix and text: AP