As well as being a noted ecclesiastical scholar, Ratti was a keen mountaineer in his spare time. He made many first ascents in the Alps, and reached the summits of Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa and the Matterhorn. His book, Climbs on Alpine Peaks, was published in English in 1923 (the year after his accession as Pope). Comparisons have been drawn with Pope John Paul II – a football goalkeeper in his youth, and the next "athlete–scholar" to be elected to the Papacy after Pius XI.
© Haydn Thompson 2021