Okay, so something has to be said on Idol Chatter about the lighter side of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit: his bright, ruby red(!!) shoes. Yes, he wore them everywhere throughout his entire U.S. visit, and yes, everyone in the media commented on them, from the Associated Press to the BBC. Reporters couldn’t seem to get enough of them.
And no, despite popular thinking, they are not Prada!
I learned this little factoid from my favorite bit of reporting about Pope Benedict’s footwear–an entire story devoted to discusssing the infamous red shoes (cue the Elvis Costello) on NPR’s “All Things Considered.” Among other things, I also found out that the shoes are made by an Italian shoemaker, who charges 400 Euros per pair of handmade shoes, about $600 U.S. dollars. That’s a steep price for anyone to pay to follow in the Pope’s footsteps so to speak, but the pontiff gets them for free!