While 88-year-old Pope Francis remains in hospital battling pneumonia, the Mirror looks at what his ministry has done for the homeless living near the Vatican.
The colonnade of St. Peter's Square, leading to the center of the Catholic church and the impressive basilica, looked different during Francis' papacy.
Francis, a controversial figure known for being less conservative than many of his predecessors, is said to have done more for the homeless than any pope in living memory. Rosary prayers are recited from the steps of the basilica every evening in Francis's honor, where thousands gather to wish him a speedy recovery from the double pneumonia that has kept him hospitalized since Feb. 14.
But in the shadows, under the arches that so gloriously ring St. Peter’s Square, there are also silent prayers being said in rows of zipped-up tents by the most vulnerable. The Holy Father has provided help. The homeless, or “nobles of the streets,” are now much more visible in the tourist-heavy Vatican area, especially in the iconic St. Peter’s Square, since Francis became pope in 2013.
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In 2015, Francis renovated the public toilets in St. Peter's Square, adding a barber shop for homeless people. They can wash themselves six days a week, a move conceived by Francis, 88, that aims to uplift homeless people who are otherwise shunned because of their appearance and smell.
Perhaps his greatest gift was the Palazzo Migliori, a sumptuous 19th-century Vatican palace just yards from St. Peter’s Square, with a balcony overlooking the colonnade. It had previously been occupied by nuns, but after they left in 2019, many called for the prime property to be turned into a grand hotel. Francis refused, giving it to the homeless, believing that “beauty heals.”
“The homeless deserve beauty, too,” said Carlo Santoro, a volunteer manager of Palazzo Migliori, which is run by the Community of Sant’Egidio, a lay Catholic organization dedicated to helping the poor around the world. The homeless come every morning for breakfast and every evening for a hot meal, and there are 45 “regular guests” staying there while they look for housing.
Thanks to the support of Francis's society, the homeless now feel more welcome at the Vatican. The pope's chief alms-giver, Monsignor Konrad Krajewski, has been distributing tents to the homeless, but wherever they set them up, there have been demonstrations against them, Carlo said.
This has drawn criticism from some conservative Catholics towards the Pope, but the homeless feel safer in their tents in the Vatican, he added. Carlo explained: “Some people thought he was a communist, but Francis said: 'I was only defending the poor.'
He added: “He understands the poor, they are the cornerstone. It's a simple idea, in fact, they are at the very centre of the Church and history. Usually the poor are not counted and not taken into account, but we celebrate the funerals of those who die, we remember the names of those who die on the street.
“We try to give a name to those who are forgotten, and Francis too. The homeless feel that the Pope protects them, he gives them a voice. That is why many of them take part in the Rosary for him every night, now they want to give their voice for him in times of need.”
Inside the Palazzo Migliori, Genaro Grandinetti, 84, a tour guide in London in the 1970s, is a shining example of someone who slipped through the cracks of society. Ten years ago, he lost his home of 50 years and ended up in a city-centre shelter run by another religious charity.
Genaro, who has heart problems and is battling prostate cancer, has lived in Palazzo Migliori for the past two years. He told the Mirror: “This place is my safety, I can't imagine where I would be without it. Giving this building to those who need it most was an incredible gesture.”
At a soup kitchen in Rome's Trastevere district, which serves between 500 and 1,000 people a day, it's impossible not to notice the love this pope has for him. Former cyclist Franco Benedicti, 62, was homeless
Sourse: www.mirror.co.uk
