During the recording of an upcoming CD, renowned Italian soprano Cecilia Baroli praised Pope Benedict XVI.

“I like him, and I respect Pope Benedict immensely.  I think he is somebody who greatly understands the unique the power of music as proof of a Superior Creative Power,” the Italian diva said during an interview for the newspaper Welt am Sonntag

During his time as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Holy Father kept a piano in his apartment and often spoke of his profound love for classical music.  He recently pointed to Rossini’s “Stabat Mater” as a particularly moving piece.