This May Be The Oddest Thing Pope Francis Has Inspired

Pope Francis continues to captivate Catholics and non-Catholics, alike. It's no secret that the 266th pontiff has elicited a variety of emotions in those who have observed him, but now it seems he's also sparked an unlikely new product: Cologne.

Yes, you read that correctly.

The pope's namesake has been attributed to "Francis," a new scent from Excelsis Fine Fragrances, a company known for creating perfumes inspired by a number of previous popes. And the interesting new commodity isn't just borrowing the name; it's attempting to capture the pope's very essence and personality as well.

A screen shot from the Excelsis website

The company's CEO Frederick Hass told the Christian Post that he's hopeful the product will reflect Francis' "humble and down to earth" demeanor. Rather than making it too "flashy," the businessman said he chose a more subtle route, using bergamot (a fragrant fruit) and sandalwood (a fragrant wood), as the Huffington Post notes.

In a press release announcing the product, Hass said that much thought and effort went into the scent and that the reaction thus far has been thrilling. Excelsis calls "Francis" both "smooth and soothing" and "a grand aftershave."

"Made expressly for His Holiness Pope Francis to celebrate the Petrine succession of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis, Pontifex Maximus, 266th Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church," reads a note on the Excelsis Fine Fragrances website.

Photo Credit: Excelsis Fine Fragrances

This fragrance follows a line of other papal-inspired scents, among other regular men's colognes.

"The new papal fragrance responds to a groundswell of requests from customers of The Pope's Cologne, Excelsis' flagship product, which honors the late 18th Century Pontiff, Pope Pius IX," proclaims a press release announcing the scene. A second popular Papal cologne, Benedictus, honoring the current Pope Emeritus, was introduced in 2006.

For now, the scent is only available on the Excelsis Fine Fragrances website for $27, but a plan to distribute the fragrance to retailers is apparently also in the works.

(H/T: Huffington Post)

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