The Pope is not afraid of lions,
as he demonstrated during the general audience amid looks of concern from
archbishop James Harvey, the prefect of the Pontifical
Household.
At the end of the general audience, performers
from the Medrano Circus of Italy brought a lion cub before
him.
The performers did some of their juggling tricks, but
they developed a case of stage fright while performing for the Pope and their
act did not go as well as planned.
Regardless, the Pope
expressed his appreciation for their performance with smiles and great applause.
