The Catholic Church has come a long way since members could fall afoul of the Spanish Inquisition by showing an aversion to pork, arousing suspicions that they were “judaizers” or “crypto-Jews.”

An Italian Catholic website reports that Pope Benedict’s favorite pastries come from a kosher bakery in Rome’s historic Jewish Ghetto. According to the chef, Vilma Limentani, Benedict is especially fond of her cinnamon and almond cookies.

“According to the precepts of our religion we cannot employ saturated animal fats,” Limentani explained to the Petrus website. “So we are talking about delicacies that might be a bit caloric but not unhealthy, and in particular, don’t raise your cholesterol.”