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.
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