No Animals In Manger During Jesus' Birth, Pope Says

There were no animals in the manager during the birth of Jesus Christs, Pope Benedict XVI says in his recently published book.

"In the gospels there is no mention of animals," the Pope writes in reference to the ox and the donkey which are regular fixtures around the manger.

Pope Benedict explains in the third and final volume of his biography of Jesus Christ that the inclusion of animals in the manger scene may have been inspired by pre-Christian traditions.

"No one will give up the oxen and the donkey in their Nativity scenes," he writes in the book, which was released Tuesday.

In the said book, titled "Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives," the Pope also tackles other misconceptions regarding Jesus' life, such as the actual date of the holiday.

"The calculation of the beginning of our calendar – based on the birth of Jesus – was made by Dionysius Exiguus, who made a mistake in his calculations by several years,” the Pope writes. "The actual date of Jesus’s birth was several years before."

"Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives" will be released in 50 countries with an initial print run of 1 million copies. The book has already been translated in nine languages, while 11 more are planned.