Pope Benedict XVI Orders Eau de Cologne He Alone May Wear

March 25, 2012: This is not a “breaking” story, but I thought you might find it interesting. According to The Guardian (UK), Pope Benedict XVI has commissioned his own brand of eau de cologne; a scent that he and he alone may wear.

The commission went to, famed fragrance designer, Silvana Casoli of Reggio Emilia in northern Italy. Casoli has created fragrances for Sarah Jessica Parker, Katy Perry, Madonna, Britney Spears, Sting and King Juan Carlos of Spain. Casoli also made 2 scents for the priests who embarked on the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, which she named “Water of Faith” and “Water of Hope”. As the story goes, the pope was presented with samples of these, hence the idea and the commission; per The Guardian (UK).



Casoli can not divulge a lot of details about the pope’s special scent, per her contract with the Vatican. She was able to share with Il Messagero newspaper; it was hard for her to come up with a scent that faithfully reflected the Pope's personality and theological outlook. She nearly pulled out of the project.

"Then I realized that an essence like this had to have at its core something pure and clean, recalling the idea of peace," Casoli went on to Il Messagero reporters. "I thought of the smells the Pope would smell when praying at the Grotto of Lourdes."

Casoli was also able to say Pope Benedict XVI’s fragrance is a combination of lime tree essence, verbena and spring grass.

And what is the name of this divine fragrance? Only the pope knows.

Brought to you by: Another break from the poetry

Sources: Il Messagero, Reuters