Dogs, turtles and snails queue up for church blessings on St Francis of Assisi feast day

From the Newshound archive · first published 5 October 2026.

Churches around the world opened their doors to pets this weekend as priests blessed dogs, cats, turtles and snails in honour of St Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals. Owners from the Philippines to Europe brought their beloved creatures to receive a holy blessing, with wagging tails and curious reptiles filling the pews.

The celebrations mark the feast day of St Francis of Assisi, the 13th-century friar renowned for his love of animals.

Philippine churches drew particularly large crowds, with owners travelling from across the country to have their pets blessed by priests.