Pope Francis blesses thousands of Harley-Davidson riders 

Pope Francis performed a "Blessing of the Motorbikes" on Wednesday for thousands of Harley-Davidson owners who gathered at St Peter's Square outside the Vatican to celebrate the 110th anniversary of the Milwaukee brand.

He blessed 1,400 motorcycles, which were once the favoured ride of the Hells Angels. The Pontiff was presented with two gleaming models of the classic motorcycle and a black leather biker jacket by Mark-Hans Richer, Harley-Davidson's senior vice-president.

But there was no sign that he was prepared to swap his Popemobile and robes for a motorcycle and leathers as he refrained from trying out the gifts. Earlier, the Pope denounced the "deplorable" phenomenon of child labour in front of a 60,000-strong crowd gathered for his weekly address. In a message to mark the World Day Against Child Labour, he called for more international action to tackle the "plague" of child exploitation.

"All children should be able to play, study, pray and grow, in their own families, in a harmonious environment, one of love and serenity," he said.