It’s said that George W. Bush won the presidency because he was the candidate with whom most voters would have liked to share a beer (even though he’d been on the wagon since 1986).

There’s no sign that the College of Cardinals elected Pope Benedict XVI for similar reasons, but the Bavarian-born pontiff is said to enjoy his brew.

That’s why the Anglican Archbishop of York, in Rome last week to pray for Christian unity, presented Benedict with some choice products of a brewery in his archdiocese.

Giving the pope something called “Holy Grail” ale might seem at least a bit irreverent, even when the donor is a fellow churchman. It’s even more startling when you know that the full name of the beverage in question is “Monty Python’s Holy Grail.”

The celebrated English comedy troupe, whose 30th anniversary the ale was brewed to commemorate, is probably most famous for its cinematic send-up of the Arthurian legends.

But the Pythons were also responsible for Life of Brian, a satire of the life of Christ, which the U.S. Catholic bishops’ Office for Film and Broadcasting condemns as “nihilistic” and “morally offensive.”

Does the pope know what he’s drinking? How long before Bill Donohue lets him know?