Offbeat: Is Pope Benedict XVI a secret rap lover?

The UK Daily Mail tries to make the case:

If his playlist is any indication, the Pope has the most catholic of musical tastes.

A selection posted on the Myspace website in the name of the Vatican features tracks from artists ranging from Shirley Bassey to rapper Tupac Shakur.

The list is one of several offered in a new music service from Myspace in which celebrities are asked to name their favourite songs.

... The Vatican list is far from an ecclesiastical top ten, although it does include songs from the album Music From The Vatican and Mozart's Don Giovanni.

Of course, the list was actually created by a third party, which explains the (ahem) "eclectic" picks:

The 12-strong Vatican list was put together by Father Giulio Neroni, artistic director of St Paul's Multimedia, a church publisher.

He was the man behind the recent Alma Mater album, which combined Gregorian chants and prayers with classical music and the voice of Pope Benedict speaking in five languages.

It is not known if the Pope has ever heard any of the songs.

Well let me clear up that open question - the pope doesn't listen to 2Pac. Seriously.

Now, Fleet Foxes is another matter entirely....

[Ph/t: AmP reader Ashley.]