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Pope Francis invites homeless people to breakfast for his birthday

The four homeless people attended mass and breakfast with Pope Francis for his 77th birthday today.

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Pope Francis and Archbishop Konrad Krajewski with three of the four men at the Vatican. (AP Photo/L’Osservatore Romano)

POPE FRANCIS INVITED four homeless people, one of them carrying his dog, to mass and breakfast on his 77th birthday today.

The Pope hosted the breakfast at St Martha’s Residence, the Vatican hotel where he has stayed since his election in March, spurning the more grandiose Apostolic Palace where leaders of the Catholic Church usually live.

The four homeless people were among the dozens who spend every night camped out around St Peter’s Square.

Photographs released by the Vatican showed Francis speaking with three homeless men, including one holding a dog.

Vatican staff and their families also attended, including the newly-appointed Secretary of State Pietro Parolin who wished the pope a happy birthday.

The Vatican said the event was “particularly friendly”.

Francis, the first ever Latin American pope, had also been expected on Tuesday to meet with members of his favourite football team, San Lorenzo, who have come over after their championship victory in Argentina.

But the meeting had been postponed until Wednesday.

Francis hailed the good news on Monday saying “Que alegria!” (That’s great!) to a close aide after hearing the news, the Vatican said.

The Pope, formerly Archbishop of Buenos Aires Jorge Mario Bergoglio, often refers back to San Lorenzo’s 1946 championship victory and is still a member of the club, which he used to go and watch with his father.

Francis has received several football teams since he became pope, including Lazio and AS Roma before their derby, as well as the Italian and Argentine national football teams before a friendly match.

- © AFP, 2013

Read: Time Magazine names Pope Francis its Person of the Year >

Read: Pope Francis forms commission to advise on sex abuse >

Read: How should the Pope do his job? He wants you to tell him >

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    Mute Laura Reddy
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    Mar 20th 2015, 12:31 PM

    That poor little girl she looks so scared !!:(

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    Mute trickytrixster
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    Mar 20th 2015, 11:37 AM

    Why put a band in charge anyways

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    Mute Thierry Ratt
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    Mar 20th 2015, 10:47 AM

    Genocide

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    Mute ohaimhirghin
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    Mar 20th 2015, 10:49 AM

    No your just a drama queen

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    Mute Gary
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    Mar 20th 2015, 11:35 AM

    “You’re a drama queen”.
    You’re = You are.
    It is your bike/car etc.

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    Mute Ryan Anth
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    Mar 20th 2015, 1:44 PM

    You all mock comments like that now but in the early stages of this story all the more hysterical posts about a worldwide pandemic starting and how they were holding back cures because they don’t care about black people were soaring to the top, just look back and see.
    That’s before getting into the crazier posts about how the yanks had a patent on the ebola virus and it was gonna go airborne any second now…..annnnny second now……annnnny second now…hey look it never happened…will that stop the same people posting hysterical nonsense next time?

    NOPE

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    Mute ohaimhirghin
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    Mar 20th 2015, 4:07 PM

    Oh that one always gets me. But thank you for pointing that out.

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    Mute David Fitzpatrick
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    Mar 21st 2015, 1:15 PM

    Delayed just long enough to market a cash cow “Vaccine”

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    Mute Bridget
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    Mar 21st 2015, 4:23 PM

    Who = vaccine = €$£

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