Buffalo Bill and The Pope,Amoung one of Buffalo Bills many Wild West Show tours was a visit to the P

Buffalo Bill and The Pope,Amoung one of Buffalo Bills many Wild West Show tours was a visit to the Papacy in 1890 to celebrate the aniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s election as il papa.  Amoung the various spectacles was a mock cowboy and indian shootout in St. Peters Square, as well as the fancy shooting skills of Annie Oakly, and a re-enactment of the Battle of Little Bighorn.  After the show the Pope personally met with Buffalo Bill and Sitting Bull, blessing them both and later offering a blessing for the entire troup.  Pope Leo XIII personally gave Buffalo Bill a tour of Rome, with the Wild West troup, the Swiss Guard, and various bishops and cardinals following behind as a parade.  It must have been one of the weirdest events in history to see icons of the west marching with the Papal entourage, to the songs of an old west brass band.  A keynote speech was made a the ruins of the Colosseum and in one the of the most bizarre events in history captured in photograph, many of the Native American members of the show set up an Indian Village within the lower decks of the Coloseum itself. -- source link

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