4 Saints not named Francis who made friends with animals

Aleteia EN

Animals have played a role in Christian history from the very beginning. St. Francis is famed for his kindness to animals -- but here are 4 saints not named Francis who befriended animals

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00:00 Animals have played a role in Christianity from the very beginning of our history.

00:08 We all know about St. Francis and how he was kind to animals and even preached to them.

00:12 Here are four saints not named Francis who made friends with animals.

00:16 Number 1.

00:17 St. Vitus and the Dogs According to legend, the Emperor Diocletian

00:21 sent rabid dogs to attack Vitus because of his Christian faith.

00:24 But the dogs refused to bite Vitus and he cured them.

00:28 And that's why each year, on the Feast of St. Vitus, the people of Positano, Sicily

00:32 bring their dogs to church to be blessed.

00:34 Number 2.

00:35 St. Jerome and the Lion St. Jerome lived in the 4th century AD.

00:40 He was renowned for his holiness and great intellect.

00:43 The story goes that while he was on the grounds of his monastery, he encountered a wild lion

00:47 that was walking with a limp.

00:49 Jerome removed a thorn from the lion's foot.

00:52 St. Jerome is most famous for translating the Bible into the Latin Vulgate.

00:56 In the book of Romans, you will see him depicted reading and writing in his study, with his

01:00 faithful lion friend, now tame, lying at his feet.

01:04 Number 3.

01:05 St. Remedius and the Bear Remedius grew up in a wealthy family, but

01:09 gave his possessions to the church and withdrew to a cave to pray.

01:13 One day he planned to visit a friend, but discovered that a bear had killed his horse.

01:17 Remedius forgave the bear and, putting a saddle on its back, rode the bear to his friend.

01:22 The sanctuary of San Remedio was built as a pilgrimage site above his mountain cave.

01:27 And the last brown bears in the Alps are cared for in a nearby preserve.

01:32 Number 4.

01:33 St. Benedict and the Raven St. Benedict is well known as the father of

01:37 Western monasticism, but did you know that he was friends with a bird?

01:40 Benedict would show charity by always giving some of his bread to a raven in his monastery.

01:46 One day an enemy of the monastery tried to poison his bread.

01:50 Benedict asked the raven to take the bread away so that none of his monks would be harmed,

01:55 and the bird obeyed him.

01:56 [MUSIC]

02:06 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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