It was a colourful turn of events to Pope Francis’s weekly general audience on Wednesday, Dec. 28 as the circus came to the Vatican.
Delighting the pope and the large crowds gathered in the Vatican audience hall, the circus troupe took to the stage towards the end of the weekly event and put on a fast-paced show featuring several performances.
The pope couldn’t help but smile as a clown handed him a balloon flower and as he assisted to a magic trick in which a table was sent flying.
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At a similar event in the past, the pope held a lion cub and on Wednesday it was a parrot’s turn to take to the pontiff’s arms.
Circus performers often visit the Vatican and perform for popes.
Francis has praised circus performers in the past saying that they create beauty “and this is good for the soul.”
Earlier this year, the Vatican ferried about 1,000 homeless people, refugees and paroled prisoners to the circus on the outskirts of Rome, in a gesture of affection for the poor and needy which has been a hallmark of Pope Francis’s papacy.