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Pope Francis invites homeless people to breakfast for his birthday

The four homeless people attended mass and breakfast with Pope Francis for his 77th birthday today.

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Pope Francis and Archbishop Konrad Krajewski with three of the four men at the Vatican. (AP Photo/L’Osservatore Romano)

POPE FRANCIS INVITED four homeless people, one of them carrying his dog, to mass and breakfast on his 77th birthday today.

The Pope hosted the breakfast at St Martha’s Residence, the Vatican hotel where he has stayed since his election in March, spurning the more grandiose Apostolic Palace where leaders of the Catholic Church usually live.

The four homeless people were among the dozens who spend every night camped out around St Peter’s Square.

Photographs released by the Vatican showed Francis speaking with three homeless men, including one holding a dog.

Vatican staff and their families also attended, including the newly-appointed Secretary of State Pietro Parolin who wished the pope a happy birthday.

The Vatican said the event was “particularly friendly”.

Francis, the first ever Latin American pope, had also been expected on Tuesday to meet with members of his favourite football team, San Lorenzo, who have come over after their championship victory in Argentina.

But the meeting had been postponed until Wednesday.

Francis hailed the good news on Monday saying “Que alegria!” (That’s great!) to a close aide after hearing the news, the Vatican said.

The Pope, formerly Archbishop of Buenos Aires Jorge Mario Bergoglio, often refers back to San Lorenzo’s 1946 championship victory and is still a member of the club, which he used to go and watch with his father.

Francis has received several football teams since he became pope, including Lazio and AS Roma before their derby, as well as the Italian and Argentine national football teams before a friendly match.

- © AFP, 2013

Read: Time Magazine names Pope Francis its Person of the Year >

Read: Pope Francis forms commission to advise on sex abuse >

Read: How should the Pope do his job? He wants you to tell him >

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    Aug 17th 2015, 7:35 AM

    Is anybody else having trouble opening the links provided?

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    Aug 17th 2015, 7:42 AM

    yep!

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    Mute vv7k7Z3c
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    Aug 17th 2015, 8:08 AM

    Hi Andrea – are you trying them on desktop, iOS or Android?

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    Aug 17th 2015, 8:10 AM

    I’m on Android (lollipop), no links for me #sadface

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    Aug 17th 2015, 8:11 AM

    Thanks Mairead – we’re looking into this right way, as it works on iOS and desktop.

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    Aug 17th 2015, 8:12 AM

    For me, it’s the Android Journal app.

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    Aug 17th 2015, 8:15 AM

    Hi Jamie – thanks for the info, our tech team are looking into it. In the meantime, I know it’ s not ideal but if you do have access to the desktop site, (should work on your phone’s internet browser too outside of the app I think) then you can try there?

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    Aug 17th 2015, 9:00 AM

    Hi Andrea, it should be working now if you want to give it a try?

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    Aug 17th 2015, 8:03 AM

    Nope, links won’t work. But I don’t actually care all that much because I got my first choice!! Helloooo primary school teaching in St Pats

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    Aug 17th 2015, 8:05 AM

    well done!

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    Aug 17th 2015, 8:10 AM

    Thank you!

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    Aug 17th 2015, 7:43 AM

    No links will open for me.

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    Aug 17th 2015, 9:00 AM

    Hi there – it should be working on Android now, let me know if you have any more problems.

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    Aug 17th 2015, 10:03 AM

    Working now, thanks.

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    Aug 17th 2015, 7:58 AM

    I went to another site to check points. Links not working all morning, not a morning anyone needs to be waiting for a never loading link!

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    Aug 17th 2015, 9:38 AM

    Just accepted my place at UCC in Pharmacy absolutely delighted!

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    Aug 17th 2015, 9:51 AM

    Absolutely gutted , missed law and german by twenty points . Got 525 and the course moved up to 545 from 515. I got offered biopharmaceutical chemistry in galway which I’d strongly dislike to do as I know it’s not for me. Go to college to do a course I don’t want and move across the country or take a year out? Tough decision.

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    Aug 17th 2015, 10:09 AM

    Year out and work and save some money, life is too short to waste it studying something that doesn’t interest you.

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    Mute AN other
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    Aug 17th 2015, 11:11 AM

    Did you not apply for a similar level 6/7 course? I’d take that if I were you and then see about a transfer to the lv8 course

    I know somebody who couldn’t do his engineering course in UCC because despite having 500+ points he failed French…

    Now he has a masters in engineering from UCC as well as a degree, a diploma and a certificate from CIT.

    Imagine graduating 4 times lol

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    Aug 17th 2015, 8:33 AM

    Course points have risen exponentially across the board. Let’s hope round 2 is more forgiving

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    Aug 17th 2015, 8:11 AM

    To confirm… Not opening on Android OS

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    Aug 17th 2015, 9:01 AM

    Hi there, it should be working now.

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    Aug 17th 2015, 8:10 AM

    android

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    Aug 17th 2015, 8:10 AM

    Won’t open on android

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    Aug 17th 2015, 9:00 AM

    Hi Mark, it should be working on Android now.

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    Aug 17th 2015, 8:34 AM

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    Aug 17th 2015, 9:00 AM

    Hi Tammy, should be working now!

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    Aug 17th 2015, 3:20 PM

    Taught a fetac level 5 would guarantee a place in nursing???? got 10 destinations. . trying to get through on phones”(

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    Aug 17th 2015, 7:33 PM

    Please tell me that was an autocorrect error Maura ?

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