Photos: Spanish pets blessed by priests in annual ritual

Catholic priests blessed them on Day of St Anthony the Abbott, the patron saint of animals

Published: January 18, 2023 16:21 Nathaniel Lacsina, Senior Web Editor and with inputs from Reuters, AFP

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Madrid: Hundreds of Spanish pet owners took their animals to church where Catholic priests blessed them on the Day of St Anthony the Abbott, the patron saint of animals. Image Credit: Reuters

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A few dogs barked, but most animals waited patiently to be sprinkled with holy water on the steps of the baroque St Anthony's Church in central Madrid. Image Credit: Reuters

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Priest Angel Garcia then said Mass in front of dozens of pets inside, also to some barking from the pews. Carlos Cabestany, 51, brought his greyhound, Rita. "It is a Madrid tradition and we like to keep it alive," he said. Image Credit: Reuters

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Priest Antonio Dominguez blesses birds at San Antonio Abad Church. Image Credit: Reuters

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A dog named Capirote, 4, reacts upon being blessed in the neighborhood of Churriana, in Malaga, Spain. Image Credit: Reuters

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A kitten and turtles are seen after they were blessed with holy water. Image Credit: Reuters

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Dogs named Capirote, 4, and Soul, 1, play before they are blessed with holy water. Image Credit: Reuters

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Priest Antonio and a woman react after he blessed her dog with flowers soaked with holy water. Image Credit: Reuters

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A priest blesses dogs during the 'Beneides' (Benedictions in Majorcan language) traditional ceremony of blessing animals that marks the day of San Anton (Saint Anthony), the animals' patron saint, in Muro, on the Spanish Balearic island of Majorca. Image Credit: AFP

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A priest blesses a horse. Image Credit: AFP

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A priest blesses a cat. Image Credit: AFP

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A priest blesses a dog. Image Credit: AFP

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A priest blesses a flock of sheep. Image Credit: AFP

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A priest blesses a gaggle of geese. Image Credit: AFP

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Photos: Spanish pets blessed by priests in annual ritual

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