This picaresque novel was first published in 2002, three years before Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger became pope and chose to be called Benedict XVI.
Benedict XVI flays almost everything in the contemporary world that begs to be flayed – politics, the media, and of course religion. The comic hero is a mix of Shakespeare’s Sir John Falstaff and the ultra porn king Larry Flynt. Benny Good’s misadventures lead him from a humble origin as an Amish foundling through stints as a novice evangelist, overland trucker, and radio talk show host, finally achieving the office that includes the perk of being addressed as Most Holy Father.