For his 78th birthday, Pope Francis got a cake, cards, a tango demonstration and a hat-tip from both President Obama and Raul Castro for his hand in renewing U.S.-Cuba relations.
The Vatican said Wednesday that the pope also received 1,760 pounds of chicken meat for the poor. The meat, provided by a Spanish producer, will be distributed to soup kitchens.
Francis also greeted eight homeless people bearing sunflowers during his Wednesday general audience, held under bright sunny skies in St. Peter's Square.
FRIENDS WHO PRAY TOGETHER STAY TOGETHER #happybirthdaypapafran!!! #blessed A photo posted by jessie luna (@yagirljess) on Dec 12, 2014 at 8:45am PST
As he drove around in the open-air car to greet the crowds, children held up birthday cards they had made for Francis, who asked one: "Did you make this? It's good!"
Others held up signs saying "Feliz Cumpleanos" ("Happy Birthday" in Spanish) and sang to him.
Outside the square, dozens of couples danced the tango, the Argentine pope's favorite. The pope quipped: "It looks like a two-by-four!" — a reference to tango.
"The tango is a dance that unites all people no matter where they come from," said Patrizia D'Aquino, part of a group from the Abruzzo region of Italy.
#tango A photo posted by Emanuela (@emy_alessi) on Dec 12, 2014 at 8:29am PST
Despite the joyous occasion, Francis ended his audience with a sobering prayer for the victims of recent "inhuman terrorist attacks" in Australia, Pakistan and Yemen.
"May the Lord receive in his peace the dead, comfort the relatives and convert the hearts of the violent who don't even stop in the face of children," Francis said.