"The pope is a traditional man and he doesn't want people at all to change their traditions, " Speciale said.
CNN: Pope's book on Jesus challenges Christmas traditions
2.
The pope also looks at scholarly studies of the Bible, some of which have indicated for decades that the traditionally accepted birth date for Jesus is wrong, Speciale said.
CNN: Pope's book on Jesus challenges Christmas traditions
3.
But while the book points out that the Gospels do not support the presence of animals at Jesus' birth -- a detail apparently added in later centuries -- the pope does not suggest they should be thrown out of the Nativity scene, Speciale said.
CNN: Pope's book on Jesus challenges Christmas traditions