Among the newest recipients of Pope Francis’ good will is the parrot of a male stripper-turned-erotic film actor, the ANSA news agency reported this week.
The pet of Francesco Lombardi, named Amore, or “Love,” was passed to the Pope as he rode around St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday. The crowd watched as he leaned from the pope-mobile to hold the bird on his finger and bless it. Later, Lombardi told ANSA that Amore said “Papa” during the encounter, mocking the people’s chant.
“It was fun,” said Lombardi. “A sort of mixing of the holy and the profane.”
He added that he was at the Square with his wife and two daughters specifically to attend the Pope’s general audience: “Pope Francis, who I am in love with, called it ‘a beautiful gift from God.'”
[ANSA]
- Meet TIME’s Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders
- After Visiting Both Ends of the Earth, I Realized How Much Trouble We’re In
- Google Is Making It Easier to Remove Personal Info From Search
- Oil Companies Posted Huge Profits. Here’s Where The Cash Will Go (Hint: Not Climate)
- Column: We Asked Hundreds of Americans About Abortion. Their Feelings Were Complicated
- A Short History of the Rise, Fall, and Rise Again of the Marcos Family
- Long-Lasting Birth Control Is Already Hard to Get. Advocates Worry It May Only Get Worse
- Who Should Be on the 2022 TIME100? Vote Now
