London, Feb 4: Pope Benedict XVI has been outed as a secret Fanta fan by the Archbishop of York John Sentamu who paid the pontiff a visit at the Vatican.

The Archbishop took the Pope a case of Holy Grail beer, brewed in Yorkshire, as a gift but was offered a glass of Fanta in turn.

Vatican spokesman Father Tim Finigan admitted that Benedict XVI prefers Fanta, and that he goes through at least three to four cans a day.

"The Holy Father shuns booze and tries to convert all his guests to the benefits of pop," the Daily Record quoted Father Finigan, as saying.

"He prefers Fanta. I'm not really sure why, perhaps because it was originally created in Germany.

"But he goes through at least three or four cans a day and always has it with his evening meal."

A spokesman for Coca Cola, who produce the Fanta range, admitted that the company was ‘flattered’ to have the pontiff as a fan of their beverage. However they’ve ruled
out using the leader of the Catholic church in any ad campaigns.

"We are very flattered to have the Pope as a fan of our beverages," he said.

"We will send him a few cases to ensure he doesn't run out. But I don't think we'll use him in any ad campaigns." (ANI)