Pope Francis blesses guide dog during press conference in Rome

It seems that the new pope really is literally taking his devotion to St. Francis of Assisi - the holy protector of the poor and the beast - because during a meeting with the press in Rome, the pope broke protocol and blessed the dog. -guide who accompanied a visually impaired journalist.

According to Discovery News, the meeting with Asià - a docile butterscotch labrador - took place last Saturday, March 16, during an audience of around 5, 000 journalists from around the world at which the Pope thanked members of the press. by conclave coverage.

"Catholic"!

After thanks, a select group of journalists were chosen to receive a personal blessing from the Pope, and Alessandro Forlani, the owner of the guide dog and reporter for RAI, was informed that the pontiff wanted to meet him and the labrador personally. Asià, after approaching the Pope and giving that brief - and typical - sniff in his cassock, sat patiently beside Forlani, winning affection and the pontiff's blessing.

The Pope broke the protocol by requesting the presence of the disabled reporter, since the meeting was not scheduled, and also by blessing the guide dog, something totally unheard of. The Argentine has been accumulating a series of "first ...": in addition to being the first Jesuit pontiff, he was also the first to choose the name Francisco, the first South American and the first to publicly bless a dog.