The Vatican echoed to the sounds of the didgeridoo on Friday at an Aboriginal show in memory of Mary MacKillop, who is about to be named Australia’s first saint.
A dozen bare-chested dancers wearing body paint performed songs and dances in front of hundreds of people, including dozens of nuns wearing turquoise scarves from the order that MacKillop helped found.
Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd, who formally apologised for the treatment of indigenous Australians in 2008, attended the show and opened an exhibition of Aboriginal art in the Vatican museum.
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“I think all Australians, whether they be Catholic or not… are looking forward to an extraordinary weekend of celebrations in honour of an extraordinary Australian woman,” Rudd told reporters.
