When the Archbishop of York, Dr. John Sentamu, went to visit Pope Benedict XVI in Rome he took him an unusual gift — Holy Grail, a beer brewed by the Black Sheep Brewery located in Masham, England.
The archbishop was in Rome to celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity to strengthen ties between the two churches.
Monty Python’s Holy Grail was specially commissioned to mark the 30th anniversary of the famous television program.
The Pope is said to prefer beer to wine and water and this wasn’t the first time that he had sampled one of the brewery’s beers. Managing director Paul Theakston said, “We were absolutely delighted, if not a little surprised, when we received the request from the archbishop to provide the Pope with a bottle of Holy Grail. We do not imagine that His Holiness will be swapping holy water for Holy Grail just yet, but to have him enjoy one of our favorite tipples is a real honor for the whole brewery and give the Holy Grail ale name a whole new meaning.”