Pope Francis Celebrates His 78th Birthday, Welcomed By Mass Tango At The Vatican [Video]

Thousands gathered Wednesday at St. Peter’s Square to help honor and celebrate Pope Francis’ 78th birthday. The Argentinian pope was born on December 17, 1936, in the locale in which the tango originated, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

For this reason, attendees of his Vatican festivities participated in one massive tango session and also joined in serenading Pope Francis in multiple languages with various versions of “Happy Birthday,” including a singing of the traditional song in both Italian and Spanish.

[Video courtesy of NBC]

According to the Guardian, “Argentine priests handed him a cake and he blew out the candles before his open-top jeep moved on. The vehicle stopped again so that the pope, visibly pleased, could accept a birthday drawing from an Italian boy.”

In addition, Reuters quoted an Italian woman in attendance, who identified herself as Linda and stated, “We are here for the pope’s birthday. We are dancing the tango as our present to him,”

Pope Francis has been noted for his humble nature and his concern for the less fortunate. CBC News highlights aspects of the pope’s birthday celebration which convey just how appreciative the public is of his giving spirit.

“A representative group of homeless people gave the pope a gift of eight sunflowers to thank him for his concern. Recently, the pope, who has in the past invited homeless people to lunch with him, ordered that shower stalls be built near the Vatican so homeless people can wash up. A Spanish meat cooperative brought 800 kg of poultry to be given to Rome charity groups in the pope’s name, the Vatican said.”

The Pope, who is known for building bridges between various faiths and systems of beliefs, is honored this day not only for it being his date of birth, but for all the ways that he has demonstrated the manner in which to communicate and dialogue with all members of society and do so with humility while seeing the good in others.

Pope Francis is known for having a simpler and less formal approach to the papacy, and has made many public appearances since succeeding and taking over as pope in March, 2013. CBC News notes, “According to figures released by the Vatican on Wednesday, nearly 1.2 million people have seen the pope at outdoor general audiences this year.”

These figures assist in indicating just how important connecting with the public is to Pope Francis and solidifies the reasons that over 3000 people would journey to the Vatican to join in his 78th birthday celebration.

[Feature image courtesy of Fox News]