Spanish Poor Clares Give Pope Francis a Hen for Christmas Dinner

The special hen was delivered to the Vatican from the manostery of the cloistered nuns, who raise hens ‘with great love and care’ to support themselves.

The Vatican's Christmas 2013 creche was unveiled Dec. 24 in St. Peter's Square.
The Vatican's Christmas 2013 creche was unveiled Dec. 24 in St. Peter's Square. (photo: CTV)

VATICAN CITY — The Poor Clares of Allariz, in western Spain, have given Pope Francis the finest hen from their farm to be served as the main dish for his Christmas dinner.

“This is not just another hen; it is a poulard, a type of high-quality bird fed a special fodder and bred longer than normal, which gives the meat a more tender and flavorful quality,” Sister Maria Pureza, abbess of St. Clare Monastery, told CNA by phone from her cloister on Dec. 18.

The monastery is located on the Camino de Santiago in Galicia, about 80 miles southeast of Santiago de Compostela,

The Poor Clares at Allariz are devoted to prayer and contemplation, and the sisters raise hens “with great love and care” as a means of economic sustenance.  

“It’s wonderful for us that the Pope has accepted this gift,” Sister Maria Pureza said. “We are Poor Clares, daughters of St. Francis, the name the Pope bears, and we love his simplicity, his humility. Each day we are amazed at his homilies.”  

The hen reserved for the Pope’s Christmas dinner was delivered to him after the general audience on Dec. 18 by members of the cooperative Coren, which the nuns have worked with for more than 50 years.  

Because they are cloistered, they could not be present themselves, but Sister Maria Pureza emphasized that they “were present in prayer.

Coren at the same time delivered another 1,600 pounds of chickens to Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner, to be distributed to more than 200 needy families in Rome.  

The nuns have a special admiration for the Holy Father, as he took his name for St. Francis of Assisi, their co-founder. For this reason, the day after Pope Francis was elected, they quickly sent a letter to the Vatican to congratulate the Holy Father and to assure him of their allegiance and admiration.  

Sister Maria Pureza reflected: “We are very fortunate. Pope Francis is wonderful, wonderful.”