Animals blessed as Rio's zoo celebrates St Francis' day Zoo animals and pets have been blessed by a Roman Catholic friar at Rio de Janeiro's zoo, in Brazil, as part of the St Francis of Assisi's day celebrations. The blessings, which followed a mass, were part of the celebrations of the patron saint of animals. Saint Francis is honoured by Catholics for his love of nature. Animal blessing ceremonies such as this take place all around Brazil and across the Catholic world on St. Francis' day. Eric Camara reports.