"It was fun," Lombardi, a former male stripper, said. "A sort of mixing of the holy and the profane. I am a world champion stripper and have the leading role in (erotic filmmaker) Tinto Brass's next movie."
The moment was particularly poignant as the pope chose the name Francis in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.
Watch pope meet parrot in this video clip — if you listen closely, you can hear the bird saying, "Papa" around the 13-second mark.