--- a/babel/messages/catalog.py
+++ b/babel/messages/catalog.py
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 
 """Data structures for message catalogs."""
 
+from cgi import parse_header
 from datetime import datetime
 from email import message_from_string
 import re
@@ -37,7 +38,7 @@
 class Message(object):
     """Representation of a single message in a catalog."""
 
-    def __init__(self, id, string='', locations=(), flags=(), auto_comments=(),
+    def __init__(self, id, string=u'', locations=(), flags=(), auto_comments=(),
                  user_comments=()):
         """Create the message object.
         
@@ -263,6 +264,10 @@
                                                int(tzoffset[2:]))
                 dt = datetime.fromtimestamp(ts)
                 self.creation_date = dt.replace(tzinfo=tzoffset)
+            elif name == 'content-type':
+                mimetype, params = parse_header(value)
+                if 'charset' in params:
+                    self.charset = params['charset'].lower()
 
     mime_headers = property(_get_mime_headers, _set_mime_headers, doc="""\
     The MIME headers of the catalog, used for the special ``msgid ""`` entry.

--- a/babel/messages/pofile.py
+++ b/babel/messages/pofile.py
@@ -60,12 +60,12 @@
     ...         print (message.id, message.string)
     ...         print ' ', (message.locations, message.flags)
     ...         print ' ', (message.user_comments, message.auto_comments)
-    ('foo %(name)s', '')
-      ([('main.py', 1)], set(['fuzzy', 'python-format']))
+    (u'foo %(name)s', '')
+      ([(u'main.py', 1)], set([u'fuzzy', u'python-format']))
       ([], [])
-    (('bar', 'baz'), ('', ''))
-      ([('main.py', 3)], set([]))
-      (['A user comment'], ['An auto comment'])
+    ((u'bar', u'baz'), ('', ''))
+      ([(u'main.py', 3)], set([]))
+      ([u'A user comment'], [u'An auto comment'])
     
     :param fileobj: the file-like object to read the PO file from
     :return: an iterator over ``(message, translation, location)`` tuples
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@
         del flags[:]; del auto_comments[:]; del user_comments[:]
 
     for line in fileobj.readlines():
-        line = line.strip()
+        line = line.strip().decode(catalog.charset)
         if line.startswith('#'):
             in_msgid = in_msgstr = False
             if messages: