Faithful gifted the pontiff with the 12-year-old animal, named Proton, to be auctioned off for charitable purposes
The horse-riding lover received this Wednesday (14) a thoroughbred horse, an unusual gift from a faithful owner of a stud farm in Poland, the Vatican announced.
The faithful presented the pope with this 12-year-old horse, named Proton, to be auctioned for charitable purposes, the Vatican press service reported.
The images released by show the leader of the group walking alongside the light-coated horse, holding it by the reins, visibly at ease, before posing next to it during his general audience at the Vatican. Before he was elected pope, he used to ride horses regularly at, where he was a missionary for around 20 years.
“When I saw these photos of the future pope riding a horse in Peru, I had the idea of presenting him with a magnificent Arabian horse, worthy, since the white one is associated with the papal cassock,” Andrzej Michalski, the faithful owner of the stud farm, told Vatican News. “The pope was delighted” with this gift, he added.
Popes receive numerous gifts from the faithful or celebrities, which are often auctioned for charitable purposes. During his 12 years of pontificate (2013-2025), Pope Francis received, among other things, two donkeys and one with Vatican colors.
*With information from AFP
Published by Nátaly Tenório
