Pope Benedict Roundup!

• Pope Benedict is enjoying his vacation at Castel Gandolfo The pope takes these days to stroll through Castel Gandolfo's gardens. Benedict XVI enjoys nature in a hat and comfortable shoes, accompanied by his personal secretary Georg Gänswein (RomeReports.com July 23, 2010). Carol Glatz of the Catholic News Service has a roundup on the Pope’s summer program, including this:

  From Aug. 28-29, the pope will host his traditional “Ratzinger Schulerkreis” (Ratzinger student circle) with former students of his. This year the topic will be the hermeneutic of Vatican II, a theme the pope talked about in his address to the Roman Curia Dec. 22, 2005.

• Benedict XVI is now the seventh oldest Pope since reliable records began being collected in the year 1400. (Catholic News Agency).

• A new children's book has been published under Pope Benedict XVI's name, titled "Gli Amici di Gesu" (The Friends of Jesus) (Catholic News Agency):

  It presents a collection of the Holy Father's descriptions of Jesus' relationship with his "first companions," taken from his catecheses at general audiences over the past five years. ...

  The 48-page volume produced for the youngest of readers is a "route that takes the reader to the origins of the Church, through the events of the first people who found Jesus and became his friends," according to the publishing house.

  Fr. Julian Carron, president of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation, says in the preface of book that, through the stories, "The Pope takes us by the hand and accompanies us to discover who were the first companions of Christ, how they found him and how they were conquered by him until they decided that they would never abandon him again."

• A "spiritual bouquet" campaign collected more than 1 million prayers for Benedict XVI (Zenit News).

• Unsure how to make charitable donations truly arrive to a worthy destination? Try sending them through the Pope, says Zenit:

  Millions of dollars each year are distributed by the Holy Father, through the Pontifical Council Cor Unum. In this way, the Successor of Peter is able to manifest the solicitude of the universal Church for needy populations.

  There are a handful of channels that direct the funds to projects deemed most needy. The funds themselves come from donors around the globe. The Pontifical Council Cor Unum, established by Pope Paul VI in 1971, coordinates the initiatives of Catholic charitable institutions.

• The Vatican Publishing House has awarded publishing rights of the English version of Benedict XVI's "Jesus of Nazareth, Vol. 2" to Ignatius Press, reports Zenit News Service. Edward Pentin details some of the Catholic publishing house's preparations for the release of the second volume for National Catholic Register's:

  Ignatius Press said it is planning several activities leading up to the book’s release aimed at fomenting discussions over the themes it addresses. “We really want to have this broader discussion, so we’re going to be working with Protestants, exploring this issue of biblical scholarship and the questions that it raises with respect to Gospel presentations of Jesus,” Brumley told the Register. “We’re excited about launching the book simultaneously, and we’re excited about the impact it will have on wider culture.”

  Ignatius will also be releasing a study guide to broaden these discussions, thereby offering parish groups, students and seminarians a springboard to talk about the issues raised in the book. Brumley said he expects to see “very sophisticated” discussions on a subject made “very accessible.”

  Msgr. Giuseppe Costa, the director of Libreria Editrice Vaticana, is one of only a few to have read the book. He told Rome Reports July 29 that one of the most impressive things is “the rich spirituality that it conveys.”

• Pope Benedict has started work on the third volume of Jesus of Nazareth - Zenit News has the story:

  "After having handed in some months ago the manuscripts of the second volume, dedicated to the Passion and the Resurrection, which are now being translated and edited in various languages, and should be available next spring, Benedict XVI has now begun the third and last part" of his work on "Jesus of Nazareth," Father Lombardi reported.

• Coins bearing the image of Pope Benedict XVI are now in open circulation within Vatican walls, reports Catholic News Agency:

  Since the Vatican accepted the euro in Jan. 2002, the only coins bearing the Pope's visage available were those sold as part of a collection. Now, as the result of a Dec. 2009 accord between the European Union and the Holy See, approximately two million 50 cent pieces have been minted for circulation. ...

  The coin features the image of Pope Benedict on one side along with the words "Citta del Vaticano 2010."

• The second part of Pope Benedict's Jesus of Nazareth will be published in March 2011. At least that's the word from RomeReports.com.

• Benedict XVI is planning to visit Carpineto Romano, the birthplace of Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci -- Pope Leo XIII. L'Osservatore Romano reported today that the Pope will make the visit on Sept. 5 to mark the bicentenary of his predecessor's birth. (Zenit News, July 28, 2010).

• So who makes those red shoes work by the Pope? ("originally thought to be Prada but turned out to be custom made by a shop in northern Italy" -- HT: David Gibson)

• Milo Yiannopoulos reviews The Pope Is Not Gay! "a charming little book that purports to expose Pope Benedict XVI’s complicated relationship with homosexuality while mocking his dress sense". His verdict? -- "The latest tasteless attack on the Pope has a strangely self-defeating undercurrent."
• Finally, from Zenit, a recap of noteworthy elements of the pope's year thus far were compiled and published by the Vatican, spanning April through July 2010.