Aging punk-rock fans (are there any other kind?) will be pleased to learn that the irrepressible "Godmother of Punk" (do we really call her that?) Patti Smith has been invited by Pope Francis to perform at the Vatican's annual Christmas concert. Patti will be among 17 other acts due to play at Rome's Conciliation Auditorium on Dec. 13 in a concert that will be broadcast live.

Now some may wonder at such an odd juxtaposition of personalities as Patti and Papa Frank, but it turns out Patti and the pope are old friends, having run into each other at St. Peter's in April last year. Smith famously sang that "Jesus died for someone's sins, but not mine" back in the day. No word on whether or not her decision to perform for Pope Francis means she's changed her mind on that.