Animals line up at Mexico City churches for annual blessing

 MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A chihuahua in sunglasses, a tiny albino mouse and a turtle were among the animals lined up at Catholic churches across Mexico City on Thursday for an annual blessing to mark Saint Anthony the Abbott’s feast day.

In a tradition carried out each year in a handful of Catholic countries, Mexicans dressed up pets in vibrant frocks and tied ribbons on their ears so they could be sprinkled with holy water by a priest reading a special animal prayer.

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Franciscan monks brought the animal blessing to Mexico during Spanish colonial rule.

The tradition marks the anniversary of the death of Saint Anthony the Abbott, a 4th century Egyptian Christian who gave his inheritance to the poor and lived a spiritual monastic life in the desert with only animals for company.

He was later made a patron saint of animals, like the better known Saint Francis of Assisi.

“Living together with animals is the most beautiful thing,” said Father Miguel Monroy, who said he avoids letting the animals inside San Fernando, a pretty 18th century Baroque church, because they tend to fight and leave puddles.

“The blessing is to protect them and keep them in good health,” he said, adding that he once blessed a couple of iguanas and a three foot (1 meter) crocodile.

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