He Could've Stayed All Day....

His own collection reportedly numbers over 20,000 volumes, but that didn't keep the book-loving B16 -- who's compared sitting in his own library to being "surrounded by friends" -- from soaking up his trip to the Vatican Library and Archives yesterday.

Sure, Benedict spoke of his thwarted desire to retire at 70 and "dedicate [him]self" to being a "passionate scholar" of the texts and manuscripts contained in the Vatican's vaults... but a shot like this goes a long way toward reinforcing that the Pope's confession to the staff was much more than just words on a page.


PHOTO: L'Osservatore

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