Pope Benedict is soon to become the first pontiff to publish a photo calendar featuring shots of himself posing for each month of the year.
The 79-year-old leader of the Catholic Church was snapped in 14 different poses for a calendar which will be distributed with Italy's best-selling weekly, Famiglia Cristiana, on November 23.
The photos were taken during the summer by one of the Catholic magazine's top photographers, who was allowed to spend a day with Benedict at his lakeside residence at Castel Gandolfo, outside Rome.
Pope fans will have to pay five euros on top of Famiglia Cristiana's cover price to get their hands on the calendar, in which Benedict is shown in various parts of his summer residence.
"You'll see a new pope every month!" is the slogan with which the weekly is publicising the unprecedented initiative.
Some of the proceeds from sales will be donated to the 'Citta dei Ragazzi Nazareth', a school and orphanage run by the Catholic Church in Rwanda.
