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The Pope Is Not Gay!
The Pope is Not Gay! is an irreverent history of homophobic and sexist obscurantism in the Holy Roman Church and an endoscopic examination of its greatest contemporary advocate, Pope Benedict XVI. In his inimitable style, Angelo Quattrocchi traces the evolution of Joseph Ratzinger’s life, beginning with the pope’s childhood in Nazi Germany, his membership of the Hitler youth in Bavaria and his conscription into the German anti-aircraft corps. His has been a startling career, a story that helps explain his development as a reactionary theologian and culminates in his carefully planned election to the papacy in 2005. Quattrocchi contrasts the Pope’s doctrinal rigidity on issues such as birth control, abortion, and homosexuality to his extravagant attire and his controversial relationship with his private secretary, Cardinal Georg Gänswein. Rigidity on all fronts.
Illustrated throughout and including Ratzinger’s key writings on homosexuality as an appendix, The Pope is Not Gay! sheds new light on the Catholic Church’s sustained interference in contemporary politics and society and the hypocrisy of its pontiffs past and present.
Illustrated throughout and including Ratzinger’s key writings on homosexuality as an appendix, The Pope is Not Gay! sheds new light on the Catholic Church’s sustained interference in contemporary politics and society and the hypocrisy of its pontiffs past and present.
192 pages, Paperback
First published October 4, 2010
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August 22, 2010
I originally ran across this book in an article in the New York Review of Books. My comments regarding that article preceded my reading of this book and have been left intact at the end of this review. The book reinforces my maxim that "people specialize in their deficiencies." It would appear that Ratzinger, or Ratzy, as Benedict XVI is unaffectionately called, has some serious issues with his own sexuality, not to mention authoritarianism.
Quattrocchi, who died in 2009, was a reporter for Italian newspapers. Of course, sex-phobia has a long history in the Catholic Church starting with Paul who said in his letters that if you enjoyed or indulged in sex you could never make it to heaven. (I am sooo doomed.) Andrew Priest (don't you just love the irony?), a psychologist and anthropologist, in addition to being a Protestant priest, wrote [Paul] “suffered from a pathological lack of emotional maturity and was psychologically unstable, and was therefore too apt to confuse his instinctive reactions and capricious value judgments with rules emanating from on high. . .He was more attracted to Christ on the cross than he was to the Christ of the resurrection. His doctrine of atonement bears the mark of his sadomasochistic tastes...." * Quattrocchi suggest Ratzy suffers from the same flaws. Ratzy has been singularly silent with regard to any "adolescent relationships. Growing up, as he did, member of the Nazi Youth, subject to Nazi hate for homosexuals, Quattrocchi says sex became an obsession to the future pope.
The idea that the Vatican and priesthood are a sanctuary for homosexuals is not a new one. Roger Peyrefitte waged a rather bitter battle with the Catholic establishment, including Francois Mauriac, over his derogatory The Keys of St. Peter novel in the 1950's. ** Ratzy was brought to Rome in 1986 "to restore the old order," and he immediately kicked off two decades of homophobia. In his Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexuals he says, paraphrased by Quattrocchi, "I condemn you and as always I discriminate against you. But I do it to please my God and, of course, for your own good. Souls are good. Arseholes bad." Ratzy rejected the budding homosexual rights movement against discrimination as being ultimately destructive to souls. Ratzy said, " 'Sexual orientation' does not constitute a quality comparable to race, ethnic background, etc. in respect to non-discrimination. Unlike these, homosexual orientation is an objective disorder." *** He goes on to support discriminatory practices against gays.
Quattrocchi finds that the Pope's pronouncements since his election (he argues, without evidence, that Ratzinger had been groomed for the job by John Paul and the first three ballots were merely a sham to make it look as if there might be some disagreement,) have been sex- and homo-phobic.
About half the book is devoted to Georg Ganswein. Georg, described as a magnificent specimen, with Steve McQueen looks, even in his fifties, was a follower of Lefebvre, long considered the leader of a heretical movement. (Benedict has worked to rehabilitate his organization within the church.) Georg was a superb politician and gradually worked his way up the ladder of Opus Dei, the powerful, extremely conservative Catholic organization. Ratzy took note. As a good German, one who also appreciated the Latin mass--Ratzy and Georg presided over quasi-secret Latin masses for the Italian rich during the late eighties--he is made Ratzinger's second-in-command at the CDF, the church's 20th century inquisition agency. In the meantime, Ratzy was making himself indispensable to Wijtila.
After his inevitable installation as pope, Georg was installed as his personal assistant, helping him dress, etc. and always present often caught on camera in rather intimate situations. ***** The result of this symbiosis is "a combination of doctrinal rigidity and flamboyant dress." Quattrochi places a lot of importance on the pope's (all chosen by Georg) dress: Prada red shoes, Ray-Ban sunglasses (apparently the first time a pope was ever seen in sunglasses,) ermine and ever more flamboyance. Quattrochi quotes several pieces by Italian newspapers, all remarking on the strangeness of the pope's new clothes. The pink cassocks especially had the tongues wagging.
The rumor mills begin to go crazy with speculation that the pope is gay and in a relationship with Georg. Apparently there was a gay pope, Julius III (famous for his support of Michaelangelo) who fell in love with a thirteen-year-old boy and who made the boy a cardinal (at age seventeen) after his election to the papacy (one is so tempted to say popehood.)
A fine example of Ratzinger's hair-splitting and desire to suppress dissent was evident just recently in his letter to English Bishops with regard to the beatification of Newman as quoted by Garry Wills, a committed Catholic, who flat out calls the Pope a liar: "Pope Benedict XVI is the best-dressed liar in the world." **** T he Pope writes: “In a social milieu that encourages the expression of a variety of opinions on every question that arises, it is important to recognize dissent for what it is, and not to mistake it for a mature contribution to a balanced and wide-ranging debate.” So dissent is to be condemned and not part of a "balanced" debate.
Quattrocchi leaves us with a rather pathetic portrait: Our infallible little man, entranced, as he recounts, by his vestments, the sounds, the pomp of a church in Bavaria, [who] has led a life filled with indestructible certainties, structured around and consolidated by his studies of incontrovertible texts, which had to be learned and annotated but never refuted. . . . The secularist will inevitably wonder, not particularly maliciously, whether such fury [the pope's homophobic pronouncements] isn't the fruit of a deeply repressed desire for what he condemns. . . .In short, he might simply be the most repressed, imploded gay in the world."
References:
*Andrew Priest,'Un Homosexuel peut-il etre Chretien?, Arcadie, no 160 (April 1967)
** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Pe.... Not many copies of this book around, Where is GoogleBooks when we need it.
*** From a 1992 document published by the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith headed by Ratzinger. Appendix 2 in Quattrochi's book.
****http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/...
*****Georg himself said: But it is also true that the fact of meeting each other and being together on a daily basis creates a sense of 'familiarity, which makes you feel less nervous. But obviously I know who the Holy Father is and so I know how to behave appropriately. There are always some situations, however, when the heart beats a little stronger than usual.
Notes re the article in the New York Times Review of Books:
Colm Toibin uses this book as a springboard for an examination of the Catholic Church's quixotic relationship with homosexuality, especially since Vatican II which statists would argue laid the groundwork for what now appears to be seminaries filled with more than 50% homosexuals looking for an opportunity to wear dresses and not have to worry about screwing women. He spends less time on the book that he does in picking apart the positively devilish manner the Church has hidden and condoned really appalling behavior by some of its minions, not to mention authorities. I's an institution that has virtually destroyed whatever moral authority it might have had -- witness Ireland -- yet insists on prescribing moral remedies at world summits as a representative of a micro-country.
Quattrocchi apparently pulls few punches suggesting that "In this way [the Pope's adoration of fine red shoes, his love of fine robes which he changes often, and his constant companion, a rather pretty-boy personal secretary who helps him dress:] his true nature, his deepest unspoken inclinations are revealed. In short, he might simply be the most repressed, imploded gay in the world."
Full review is worth reading at " Among the Flutterers" by Colm Tóibín, http://www.lrb.co.uk/v32/n16/colm-toi...
P.S. If you can't get access to the review because it's for print subscribers only, send me an email and I'll forward a pdf copy of it.
Quattrocchi, who died in 2009, was a reporter for Italian newspapers. Of course, sex-phobia has a long history in the Catholic Church starting with Paul who said in his letters that if you enjoyed or indulged in sex you could never make it to heaven. (I am sooo doomed.) Andrew Priest (don't you just love the irony?), a psychologist and anthropologist, in addition to being a Protestant priest, wrote [Paul] “suffered from a pathological lack of emotional maturity and was psychologically unstable, and was therefore too apt to confuse his instinctive reactions and capricious value judgments with rules emanating from on high. . .He was more attracted to Christ on the cross than he was to the Christ of the resurrection. His doctrine of atonement bears the mark of his sadomasochistic tastes...." * Quattrocchi suggest Ratzy suffers from the same flaws. Ratzy has been singularly silent with regard to any "adolescent relationships. Growing up, as he did, member of the Nazi Youth, subject to Nazi hate for homosexuals, Quattrocchi says sex became an obsession to the future pope.
The idea that the Vatican and priesthood are a sanctuary for homosexuals is not a new one. Roger Peyrefitte waged a rather bitter battle with the Catholic establishment, including Francois Mauriac, over his derogatory The Keys of St. Peter novel in the 1950's. ** Ratzy was brought to Rome in 1986 "to restore the old order," and he immediately kicked off two decades of homophobia. In his Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexuals he says, paraphrased by Quattrocchi, "I condemn you and as always I discriminate against you. But I do it to please my God and, of course, for your own good. Souls are good. Arseholes bad." Ratzy rejected the budding homosexual rights movement against discrimination as being ultimately destructive to souls. Ratzy said, " 'Sexual orientation' does not constitute a quality comparable to race, ethnic background, etc. in respect to non-discrimination. Unlike these, homosexual orientation is an objective disorder." *** He goes on to support discriminatory practices against gays.
Quattrocchi finds that the Pope's pronouncements since his election (he argues, without evidence, that Ratzinger had been groomed for the job by John Paul and the first three ballots were merely a sham to make it look as if there might be some disagreement,) have been sex- and homo-phobic.
About half the book is devoted to Georg Ganswein. Georg, described as a magnificent specimen, with Steve McQueen looks, even in his fifties, was a follower of Lefebvre, long considered the leader of a heretical movement. (Benedict has worked to rehabilitate his organization within the church.) Georg was a superb politician and gradually worked his way up the ladder of Opus Dei, the powerful, extremely conservative Catholic organization. Ratzy took note. As a good German, one who also appreciated the Latin mass--Ratzy and Georg presided over quasi-secret Latin masses for the Italian rich during the late eighties--he is made Ratzinger's second-in-command at the CDF, the church's 20th century inquisition agency. In the meantime, Ratzy was making himself indispensable to Wijtila.
After his inevitable installation as pope, Georg was installed as his personal assistant, helping him dress, etc. and always present often caught on camera in rather intimate situations. ***** The result of this symbiosis is "a combination of doctrinal rigidity and flamboyant dress." Quattrochi places a lot of importance on the pope's (all chosen by Georg) dress: Prada red shoes, Ray-Ban sunglasses (apparently the first time a pope was ever seen in sunglasses,) ermine and ever more flamboyance. Quattrochi quotes several pieces by Italian newspapers, all remarking on the strangeness of the pope's new clothes. The pink cassocks especially had the tongues wagging.
The rumor mills begin to go crazy with speculation that the pope is gay and in a relationship with Georg. Apparently there was a gay pope, Julius III (famous for his support of Michaelangelo) who fell in love with a thirteen-year-old boy and who made the boy a cardinal (at age seventeen) after his election to the papacy (one is so tempted to say popehood.)
A fine example of Ratzinger's hair-splitting and desire to suppress dissent was evident just recently in his letter to English Bishops with regard to the beatification of Newman as quoted by Garry Wills, a committed Catholic, who flat out calls the Pope a liar: "Pope Benedict XVI is the best-dressed liar in the world." **** T he Pope writes: “In a social milieu that encourages the expression of a variety of opinions on every question that arises, it is important to recognize dissent for what it is, and not to mistake it for a mature contribution to a balanced and wide-ranging debate.” So dissent is to be condemned and not part of a "balanced" debate.
Quattrocchi leaves us with a rather pathetic portrait: Our infallible little man, entranced, as he recounts, by his vestments, the sounds, the pomp of a church in Bavaria, [who] has led a life filled with indestructible certainties, structured around and consolidated by his studies of incontrovertible texts, which had to be learned and annotated but never refuted. . . . The secularist will inevitably wonder, not particularly maliciously, whether such fury [the pope's homophobic pronouncements] isn't the fruit of a deeply repressed desire for what he condemns. . . .In short, he might simply be the most repressed, imploded gay in the world."
References:
*Andrew Priest,'Un Homosexuel peut-il etre Chretien?, Arcadie, no 160 (April 1967)
** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Pe.... Not many copies of this book around, Where is GoogleBooks when we need it.
*** From a 1992 document published by the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith headed by Ratzinger. Appendix 2 in Quattrochi's book.
****http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/...
*****Georg himself said: But it is also true that the fact of meeting each other and being together on a daily basis creates a sense of 'familiarity, which makes you feel less nervous. But obviously I know who the Holy Father is and so I know how to behave appropriately. There are always some situations, however, when the heart beats a little stronger than usual.
Notes re the article in the New York Times Review of Books:
Colm Toibin uses this book as a springboard for an examination of the Catholic Church's quixotic relationship with homosexuality, especially since Vatican II which statists would argue laid the groundwork for what now appears to be seminaries filled with more than 50% homosexuals looking for an opportunity to wear dresses and not have to worry about screwing women. He spends less time on the book that he does in picking apart the positively devilish manner the Church has hidden and condoned really appalling behavior by some of its minions, not to mention authorities. I's an institution that has virtually destroyed whatever moral authority it might have had -- witness Ireland -- yet insists on prescribing moral remedies at world summits as a representative of a micro-country.
Quattrocchi apparently pulls few punches suggesting that "In this way [the Pope's adoration of fine red shoes, his love of fine robes which he changes often, and his constant companion, a rather pretty-boy personal secretary who helps him dress:] his true nature, his deepest unspoken inclinations are revealed. In short, he might simply be the most repressed, imploded gay in the world."
Full review is worth reading at " Among the Flutterers" by Colm Tóibín, http://www.lrb.co.uk/v32/n16/colm-toi...
P.S. If you can't get access to the review because it's for print subscribers only, send me an email and I'll forward a pdf copy of it.
January 5, 2020
The Pope in question is H.H. Benedict XVI.
My opinion of him was slightly higher than it was of the author by the time I finished this. That isn’t saying much, having waded through the Appendices which detail Joseph Ratzinger’s, aka Pope Ben...,writings on “Homosexual Persons” etc; not exactly edifying.
“Ratzy” or “our little hero” as the author persists in referring to the Holy Father in his scurrilous volume, is a hard-line conservative as far as his interpretation of scripture and ‘holy rules’ are concerned. But we knew that anyway when he was elected, didn’t we? As head of the Catholic Church he is there to lead his flock as he thinks best, regardless of what the World’s view may be, surely?
Having read this though, I realise that I am very far from Benedict XVI’s Rome. I wonder how he and J.C. would get along over a quiet drink with Mary Magdalene and St John?
Returning to the book’s title: in its literal and original meaning Benedict is definitely ‘gay’. His penchant for red shoes, pink chasubles, red hats, particularly the delicious little red bonnet trimmed with white fake ermine. Camp or what! Whether he fits its second more usual meaning these days, who knows? The author seems to think so – he points to his flamboyant dress, his choice of Don Georg Ganswein, a fellow Bavarian priest, 30 years his junior, as his almost constant attendant. A comely fellow who seems photogenic and who shares Papa’s right conservative leanings.
Rather more interesting to me is the author’s linking of Benedict XVI with St Paul : each obsessively concerned with castigating homosexuals. (The Apostle saw S.E.X. as a mucky business generally it seems). The author speculates that it is possible repression of just those feelings which cause them to“protest too much”.
We know that this holy masochism comes at a cost. I’m not suggesting that Benedict’s mask has slipped in private but such a thing has been known within his ranks, causing life-long harm to others and to the standing of the Church. This fastidious pope’s railing against the perilous sin of masturbation evoked visions for me of Old Testament nightmares and screwed up childhoods.
I found the author’s tone very irritating, even offensive, and consequently I found myself more sympathetic towards Ben. XVI than I might otherwise have been. But on the whole the idea of the book is worthwhile and left much to ponder upon (gossip aside).
The photographs are priceless, often endearing and Georg definitely seems to add to an understanding of what constitutes Vatican eye candy!
My opinion of him was slightly higher than it was of the author by the time I finished this. That isn’t saying much, having waded through the Appendices which detail Joseph Ratzinger’s, aka Pope Ben...,writings on “Homosexual Persons” etc; not exactly edifying.
“Ratzy” or “our little hero” as the author persists in referring to the Holy Father in his scurrilous volume, is a hard-line conservative as far as his interpretation of scripture and ‘holy rules’ are concerned. But we knew that anyway when he was elected, didn’t we? As head of the Catholic Church he is there to lead his flock as he thinks best, regardless of what the World’s view may be, surely?
Having read this though, I realise that I am very far from Benedict XVI’s Rome. I wonder how he and J.C. would get along over a quiet drink with Mary Magdalene and St John?
Returning to the book’s title: in its literal and original meaning Benedict is definitely ‘gay’. His penchant for red shoes, pink chasubles, red hats, particularly the delicious little red bonnet trimmed with white fake ermine. Camp or what! Whether he fits its second more usual meaning these days, who knows? The author seems to think so – he points to his flamboyant dress, his choice of Don Georg Ganswein, a fellow Bavarian priest, 30 years his junior, as his almost constant attendant. A comely fellow who seems photogenic and who shares Papa’s right conservative leanings.
Rather more interesting to me is the author’s linking of Benedict XVI with St Paul : each obsessively concerned with castigating homosexuals. (The Apostle saw S.E.X. as a mucky business generally it seems). The author speculates that it is possible repression of just those feelings which cause them to“protest too much”.
We know that this holy masochism comes at a cost. I’m not suggesting that Benedict’s mask has slipped in private but such a thing has been known within his ranks, causing life-long harm to others and to the standing of the Church. This fastidious pope’s railing against the perilous sin of masturbation evoked visions for me of Old Testament nightmares and screwed up childhoods.
I found the author’s tone very irritating, even offensive, and consequently I found myself more sympathetic towards Ben. XVI than I might otherwise have been. But on the whole the idea of the book is worthwhile and left much to ponder upon (gossip aside).
The photographs are priceless, often endearing and Georg definitely seems to add to an understanding of what constitutes Vatican eye candy!
August 28, 2022
This is a funny, angry, and sad essay. In that order.
Written with queer wit, Quattrocchi trashes Pope Benedict XVI with a fiery temper. He exposes the Pope’s reactionary agenda to destroy any progress made with Vatican II through his opposition to liberation theology, condemnation of homosexuality, abortion, and euthanasia, and his stance against condoms in the midst of an AIDS crisis. Armed with an angry humor, Quattrocchi contrasts the reactionary Pope with his tendency to dress flamboyantly, calling his dresser failures a sad attempt of Pope-aganda to whitewash his far-right agenda in the media. Poking fun even further at the Pope’s close relationship with his secretary, Georg Ganswein, he jokingly argues the Pope must be “the most repressed, imploded gay in the world.”
Beyond the humor and anger, however, is a deep sadness in the essay. As a fellow gay man, I read in Quattrocchi’s writing a deep frustration with the Church for its failure to stand up and protect the weak as their Christ once did. In his conclusion, he powerfully calls for a recognition of love with no boundaries, in counterposition of the Church’s stance that homosexual attraction is fine as long as it is not acted upon. He writes: “we on the other hand call the love between man and a woman, between a man and a man, between a woman and a woman, love without distinction.” His essay is deeply human, longing for a recognition of human emotion and intimacy beyond the shallow confines established by cold church doctrine.
Written with queer wit, Quattrocchi trashes Pope Benedict XVI with a fiery temper. He exposes the Pope’s reactionary agenda to destroy any progress made with Vatican II through his opposition to liberation theology, condemnation of homosexuality, abortion, and euthanasia, and his stance against condoms in the midst of an AIDS crisis. Armed with an angry humor, Quattrocchi contrasts the reactionary Pope with his tendency to dress flamboyantly, calling his dresser failures a sad attempt of Pope-aganda to whitewash his far-right agenda in the media. Poking fun even further at the Pope’s close relationship with his secretary, Georg Ganswein, he jokingly argues the Pope must be “the most repressed, imploded gay in the world.”
Beyond the humor and anger, however, is a deep sadness in the essay. As a fellow gay man, I read in Quattrocchi’s writing a deep frustration with the Church for its failure to stand up and protect the weak as their Christ once did. In his conclusion, he powerfully calls for a recognition of love with no boundaries, in counterposition of the Church’s stance that homosexual attraction is fine as long as it is not acted upon. He writes: “we on the other hand call the love between man and a woman, between a man and a man, between a woman and a woman, love without distinction.” His essay is deeply human, longing for a recognition of human emotion and intimacy beyond the shallow confines established by cold church doctrine.
September 15, 2025
The first chapter of the book (and the longest), briefly detailing Ratzinger's history, was the only chapter I found particularly interesting. It documents the evolution of Ratzinger's views on certain moral issues, specifically homosexuality but other related sexual issues (contraception, etc.) as he rose from the once liberal standard-bearer of Vatican II to the Cardinal-Prefect of the Holy Office responsible for the divise 1986 letter and the crusade against liberation theology, then finally to the papal throne wherefrom he commanded ecclesiastical opposition to the recognition of same-sex civil partnerships by the Italian government (which was finally not included in DiCo). The rest of the book, however, seeks to sardonically cast Ratzinger in the role of the repressed homosexual vis-à-vis his supposed lover Georg Gänswein, supported by naught but their close friendship (with a heavy handed comparison to Julius III) and Benedict XVI's notorious fashion choices upon his ascension to the papacy. While the author's frustration with Ratzinger's longstanding involvement in Italian politics is understandable, the characterization of Ratzinger is utterly unconvincing and in some respects downright libelous (probably intentionally so) and ultimately leaves much to be desired, such as a study of how the theologian who helped open the windows of the Vatican to the "fresh air" of the Aggiornamento would become the pope who sought to irrevocably shut those windows with the bolt of hermeneutics of continuity. At any rate, I'm not sure what exactly this book has to offer now that the Catholic Church has had two popes who have had very different approaches to the issue.
September 16, 2025
3.75 Funniest book I've read all year and it's just 100 pages of gayvestigating pope benedict. According to this author, Benedict is for sure a self-hating repressed gay because he rolled back the inching toward gay acceptance post Vatican 2 after he became prefect of the doctrine of the faith.
Apparent reasons he's gay include:
- having a hot male priest-secretary
- Wearing designer (you can tell this book was written in 2010 because I think the author barely held himself back from using the word metrosexual)
- Being bewitched by his hot secretary
- Having a high pitched voice
- Having a hot secretary from Bavaria
- Being a conservative
- Being homophobic
- Wearing pink
- Wearing red and blue
- Having nice furniture
- Colour coordinating
- Having no bitches before entering the seminary
- Walking next to his hot secretary
- Wearing shoulder pads
I mean with evidence like that I can't say I'm unconvinced. Tbh.
You believe after reading this that there's probably an alternative, less homophobic, history of the church if Ratzinger (called Ratzy this entire book because the author hates Benedict and this evil-cute nickname perfectly encapsulates his attitude toward him) was never appointed in the 80s. Or at least allowed to resign before he ever could have been elected pope and all his megahomophobia and suppression of liberation theology given the papal stamp of approval. But had that happened I never would have gotten this slim volume of pure joy, so, trade-offs, I guess.
This was unserious, a little outrageous, completely biased, filled with earnest hatred of Ratzinger, wokeism, and everything I could have asked for.
Apparent reasons he's gay include:
- having a hot male priest-secretary
- Wearing designer (you can tell this book was written in 2010 because I think the author barely held himself back from using the word metrosexual)
- Being bewitched by his hot secretary
- Having a high pitched voice
- Having a hot secretary from Bavaria
- Being a conservative
- Being homophobic
- Wearing pink
- Wearing red and blue
- Having nice furniture
- Colour coordinating
- Having no bitches before entering the seminary
- Walking next to his hot secretary
- Wearing shoulder pads
I mean with evidence like that I can't say I'm unconvinced. Tbh.
You believe after reading this that there's probably an alternative, less homophobic, history of the church if Ratzinger (called Ratzy this entire book because the author hates Benedict and this evil-cute nickname perfectly encapsulates his attitude toward him) was never appointed in the 80s. Or at least allowed to resign before he ever could have been elected pope and all his megahomophobia and suppression of liberation theology given the papal stamp of approval. But had that happened I never would have gotten this slim volume of pure joy, so, trade-offs, I guess.
This was unserious, a little outrageous, completely biased, filled with earnest hatred of Ratzinger, wokeism, and everything I could have asked for.
October 16, 2025
more nonfiction should be like this
August 15, 2025
Behind every gay man is a second, more evil gay man.
Unfortunately this book is a collection of observations that, while fun to theorize about, are not very definitive. To be fair, if this book could have provided hard evidence, we would've heard about it before its publication.
The second half of the book is just an appendix, a collection of the pope's writings against homosexuality, that I'm just going to skip to preserve my own sanity. Yes they're relevant to the text, but they do blow up the size of the book when it's in your hands at the store.
I probably expected too much of this book but it leaves me nonetheless slightly disappointed.
Unfortunately this book is a collection of observations that, while fun to theorize about, are not very definitive. To be fair, if this book could have provided hard evidence, we would've heard about it before its publication.
The second half of the book is just an appendix, a collection of the pope's writings against homosexuality, that I'm just going to skip to preserve my own sanity. Yes they're relevant to the text, but they do blow up the size of the book when it's in your hands at the store.
I probably expected too much of this book but it leaves me nonetheless slightly disappointed.
January 27, 2012
It's a pretty eye-catching cover and title but alas this book is quite a disappointment. Yes, Pope Benedict has a lot to answer for in respect of the huge harm he has done gay people throughout the world by his poisonous words. But I don't really care whether he has a romance going on with Georg. Where are the really well-written exposes of this vile man? There were plenty of such books came out during John Paul's reign and at least he had some good points. Where is all the data concerning Benedict's part in the cover-up of child abusing priests? It's not a surprise to find that someone so much the very essence of homophobia should turn out to be a deeply repressed homosexual, if he is. There was J Edgar Hoover, for example. But what the author points to mostly is a capacity for a neo-transvestite taste, Gucci and Prada not to mention that incredible Santa hat. The level of journmalism doesn't go a lot deeper than that. Quattrocchi also admits he is/was an atheist, which doesn't address the many problems for gay people who are believing Catholics and can't just dump their faith because the leadership is rotten. Let's hope the subject catches the attention of, say, a John Cornwell so we can at last put Josef Ratzinger in hios proper context. (I must add though that if Georg Ganswein was helping me get dressed in the mornings I don't think I could answer for the consequences. Lucky old Benedict.)
July 10, 2012
i really have no idea how to review this book, it is hilarious and has some really good turns of phrase (i specifically like the references to Ratz's fashion forward views on tent-like apparel). However, in terms of content the book is fairly thin (if you didn't know, Ratz has extremely conservative pre-Vatican II views on homosexuality, birth control and the family) and Quattrocchi serves as sort of a queer, atheist Ann Coulter by taking breath-taking cheap shots at his target (only with, and this is the important difference, actual citations and some sense of compassion for his subject that is very clear in the conclusion). The book certainly doesn't have much in the way of straight up doctrinal analysis (other than, Ratz did crush liberation theology as much as such a thing is possible, and any church moves towards tolerance); which brings me to my problem: this book is extremely entertaining (i read it in about 2 hours and laughed pretty much the whole way through) but is also extremely shallow, so i'm left with a book that is 2/5 on "scholarly content" [although the appendices are a good resource] and a 5/5 of "actually not making me feel robbed for purchasing it"; hence the 3/5 rating.
June 15, 2011
This book is really geared toward those with a strong understanding of the Catholic church's structure and politics. If you don't know anything at all about the Vatican, or the way the priesthood works you will probably be bored to tears by the end of the first section. After that, it gets a little more entertaining. However, this is still fundamentally a political satire piece. I think the other issue with this book is that it does get really repetitive, but the author is trying to build a case so he tends to reiterate things several times. Some of the dryness may be a translation issue, since this book was originally written in Italian. I found it readable regardless, and I'm pretty hard to keep interested if it's not a graphic novel or manga. Don't expect belly aching laughs, but do expect to come away with some interesting questions about the Pope.
February 27, 2013
I can't imagine this book will appear anytime soon on the syllabus of any of the Catholic schools I attended. In fairness to the author he presents the Church's position through quotes from letters & pronouncements. His own views (many of which I share) come across at times as snarky.
I was aware of "Georg", & admit to wondering; the background of their relatinship was new to me. As was the story of Pope Julian. Those two themes made the book a 3 star for me. Devout Catholics may well be upset by this, recovering Catholics will shake their head. I doubt anyone will change their views. But Quattrocchi gets kudos for putting down on paper what so many of us have thought.
I was aware of "Georg", & admit to wondering; the background of their relatinship was new to me. As was the story of Pope Julian. Those two themes made the book a 3 star for me. Devout Catholics may well be upset by this, recovering Catholics will shake their head. I doubt anyone will change their views. But Quattrocchi gets kudos for putting down on paper what so many of us have thought.
March 23, 2013
The point is well taken and the appendix is helpful, but why on earth did Verso release this in book form? And why didn't the author, book contract from a major leftist publisher in hand, opt to expand and revise his original article? The jacket copy suggests a great deal of original research was done, which simply isn't the case.
Want to Read
May 23, 2011Could not finish book. 49/160, and cannot bring myself to pick it up again. ):
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