Overview
- Hundreds gathered at parishes from Madrid and Toledo to Oviedo, Gijón, Palencia and Pontevedra, with ceremonies also held in Argentina and Puebla, Mexico.
- Priests used holy water and prayers while underscoring social themes, with Padre Ángel in Madrid linking companionship from pets to remedies for loneliness.
- Local customs featured blessed bread or cookies, processions and bonfires, including Toledo’s panecillos and an evening hoguera outside the ermita.
- Some churches welcomed animals inside and extended remote blessings after social media requests, as reported by parish priest Miguel Alderete in Avilés.
- Puebla’s ceremony unfolded alongside debate over Mexico City’s new ban on live-animal sales, with clergy and attendees voicing opposing views on whether prohibition or regulation better curbs abuse.